The Haruno Clan
by LilithiaRW
Summary: "Your blood is mine!" There is a reason the Haruno clan is spoken of only in whispers. Her parents escaped to protect their daughter from the clan traditions. But blood cannot be ignored. Sakura is caught in a deadly web of loyalties. Welcome to hell. Warning: Badass Sakura.
1. Prologue: Before the Worst

_P_r_o_l_o_g_u_e

"_SAKURA-CHAAAAAN!"_

"_Oomph!"_

_Crash!_

"_Hehe, sorry about that Sakura-chan." Naruto clumsily stood up and held his hand out to her._

_Sakura grabbed it._

_And promptly propelled him into a wall._

"_You baka, don't go body slamming me like that!" Sakura growled, shaking an angry fist at him._

_Kakashi, who had been standing in the background with Sai, sighed, sweatdropping. "Now, now, Sakura, you should expect this behavior from Naruto by now. Honestly, he can't help himself."_

_Sakura huffed, dusting off her skirt. "Baka."_

'_Don't jump onto women from behind.' Sai observed, writing this little tidbit on a notepad he always kept on him._

_Naruto pulled himself out of the wall, holding his hands up in surrender. "Eh, sorry Sakura-chan!"_

_Sakura shook her head. "Why are you guys here anyway?"_

_Standing in the hall of the Hokage Tower, Sakura had been busy delivering papers for Shizune until a certain knucklehead glomped her. Thankfully she had just sat the files down on a desk the moment before Naruto crashed into her. Noticing a piece of paper had fallen onto the floor, Sakura bent to pick it up with a sigh._

"_We're getting a mission!" Naruto exclaimed._

_The pinkette turned to look at Kakashi, waiting for the scarecrow to elaborate._

"_Naruto is getting impatient to receive his next mission, so he dragged us along to beg Tsunade-sama for one." Kakashi stated in a bored tone._

_Sai was still drawing._

"_Well I was just summoned there anyway." Sakura said. "You guys can come with me."_

_With a large smile, Naruto dropped an arm over Sakura's shoulders in his usual friendly manner and began to talk her ear off as they headed for the stairs. Kakashi and Sai followed, the older jonin smiling at his students, reminiscing of his own younger days._

_The happy atmosphere was quickly cut short the moment the door to Tsunade's office opened._

_Sakura froze where she stood, just outside the door, staring in horror at the man standing in front of the Hokage's desk._

"_Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked when Sakura didn't enter the doorway with him._

_Tsunade's head snapped up and her eyes widened when she saw Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai standing around her apprentice just outside the doorway. The Godaime had not expected Sakura to come with her friends._

"_Naruto, Kakashi, Sai," Tsunade called. "I need to speak with Sakura alone."_

_Naruto looked up protectively at the man that Sakura couldn't rip her eyes from. He was tall, with a thick, muscular build. His face was shadowed in the way his back faced the windows. The dying sunlight lit pale red hair, his body relaxed but exuding a predatory aura. He wore a long coat that hid his body from view, other than combat boats and the tell-tale gleam of a boot knife._

"_Who is he, Baa-chan?" Naruto growled._

"_Dammit, don't call me that Naruto!" Tsunade slammed her hand down._

_Sakura's hand moved to place a comforting hand on Naruto's arm, gently removing it from her person, but still maintaining eye contact with the man in the room. "It's okay, Naruto. You should leave now."_

_Naruto was about to argue when he felt Kakashi pull him away. "Listen to orders, Naruto." Kakashi warned._

_With an emotionless mask Naruto was unused to seeing on Sakura, his teammate entered the office. The door shut with a final and definite click, and Naruto felt the wards around the room activate. These wards were stronger than usual, making Naruto and his companions wonder just what exactly Tsunade wanted with Sakura._

_{*~*~*}_

_Who would have thought it would end up like this?_

_We lost the chance_

_Trying to take it back before it all went wrong_

_{*~*~*}_

_FIVE YEARS EARLIER_

It had been a relatively normal day. Tsunade kicked her ass in the morning in a torture ritual mistakenly dubbed training, then her shisou sent her to assist Shizune in the hospital, spending eight gruesome hours observing her sempai in surgeries and helping to heal minor wounds. But Sakura had hope. Shizune had told her that she was improving with leaps and bounds, although Tsunade would never tell her. Apparently Shizune had never seen someone with such a natural talent for healing.

Sakura smiled through the bruise on her cheek from a particularly nasty training session with Tsunade earlier that morning. Nodding politely to her neighbor, Sakura opened her apartment and walked in, flicking the lights on. She was not expecting the scroll sitting innocently on her kitchen table.

Imprinted on the rare gold wax was a circle, with the kanjis for 'inner beast' entwined elegantly in the circle, barely legible.

Her breath hitched.

_No no no no no no this can't be… I'm imagining things. This is just a nightmare._

She squeezed her eyes tight and then snapped them open.

The scroll was still on the table.

Tentatively, Sakura approached, reaching out to touch the wax seal. With trembling hands, she picked up the parchment, the smell of fresh wax drifting to her nose, as well as the scent of fresh rain and forest.

_The messenger has been here recently._ Her thoughts were panicked at how strong the scent still was.

Suddenly the panic took over, and her movements became frenzied as she broke the seal and unwound the scroll.

Sakura's heart froze at the first sentence.

'_Haruno Sakura, you are hereby called to perform your duty to your clan. Your blood calls upon you to rejoin your family. We are willing to overlook the trespass of your parents, for their sins are not yours. You will not be blamed for their mistakes, daughter._

_Come home.'_

It took all her strength not to cry out in a rage and hurl the offending paper into the wall, or set it aflame with a Katon.

_Mistakes? _Her thoughts screeched as Sakura let out an angry scream through clenched teeth. _My parents made no mistake about keeping me from the clan! How dare you disrespect them in such a way! I will never join the clan!_

Leaping into action, Sakura rolled up the scroll and slipped it into her vest, then swiftly exited her apartment and took to the rooftops. It was nearly eleven at night, and unsurprisingly there were still many ninja out at this time, going about their business using what the civilians dubbed 'ninja highway'. Approaching the Hokage Tower, Sakura was relieved to see the light in Tsunade's office still on.

Without hesitating, she slipped in through the window.

"Sakura! What the hell do you think you are doing?" Tsunade growled.

Making sure they were completely alone, Sakura activated the wards around the office, then strengthened them with her chakra. Tsunade raised an eyebrow when she sensed the wards around her office strengthen by tenfold. She hadn't known Sakura could do that.

The Hokage became wary when she saw Sakura's face. Never had the older woman seen Sakura with a blank, unreadable face. Her apprentice had always been so open about her feelings, and seeing Sakura with a stony expression gave the Hokage shivers.

Reaching into her vest, Sakura pulled out the scroll and sat it down on the desk in front of Tsunade firmly.

Tsunade observed Sakura's tense, angry movements. The way the pinkette's fingers had clutched the scroll did not go unnoticed. Looking closely at the wax seal that had already been broken, Tsunade's eyes widened at the seal.

"Sakura." She started. "This looks a lot like your clan symbol."

Glancing up suspiciously, the Godaime saw something like fury flash in Sakura's eyes.

"It is." Sakura replied with a clipped voice.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, silently ordering the girl to go on.

"It is different though." Sakura elaborated. "The kanjis are missing from mine for a reason though."

From Sakura's tone, Tsunade felt that if she asked for further explanation, Sakura would not answer. So with the heavy silence baring down on her, Tsunade opened the scroll and began to read. Her eyes gradually widened until she felt that her eyes would pop out.

"Would you…" Tsunade had to clear her throat. "Would you mind telling me… what exactly this is supposed to mean?"

…

…

Sakura began to pace in frustration. "Well obviously my clan is asking me to report to them."

"Sakura I have never heard of the Haruno clan before you." Tsunade stated. "And when I had Shizune look into your back ground- and I had every right to, don't look at me like that- I found nothing other than your parents' civilian files. I had imagined your parents merely came from a distant civilian clan."

Sakura slanted a look at the Hokage.

"Obviously I was wrong in my assumption." Tsunade inferred from Sakura's gaze. "Care to explain?"

"Whether you give me permission to go or not, they _will _come for me." Sakura growled. "The Haruno clan does not take 'no' for an answer. Hell, even if I told them I wanted nothing to do with them they would still force me."

Tsunade's brow furrowed.

Finally, Sakura seemed to calm down and took a seat in front of the Godaime. "I will warn you, Tsunade-sama." She murmured, gazing out of the windows.

The pinkette turned to lock eyes with Tsunade, her eyes burning with intensity. "They will change me."

_{*~*~*}_

The next day Sakura had been at the hospital with Shizune when a messenger came to get her.

_Poof!_

"Iiieeee!" Sakura nearly collided with the ANBU operative that magically appeared in front of her as she was heading to the lounge. She swore she saw the masked man's shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. The young medic pinned the ANBU with a disapproving glare. "You ANBU enjoy doing that, don't you."

"The Hokage requires your presence."

She detected the amusement in the man's voice and glared at him anew. "I'll be there in a second." She snapped.

The ANBU operative didn't move.

"You're in my way." She stated with a huff, crossing her arms.

"My apologies, Miss."

"Yeah right." Sakura muttered in annoyance. What was with this guy?

The ANBU chuckled.

"You're enjoying this." She deadpanned.

He shrugged. "Slightly."

Sakura resisted the urge to smack her forehead. "Why?" she lifted an eyebrow expectantly.

Another chuckle. "I am to make sure you report to the Hokage's office as soon as possible."

Now Sakura really did face-palm. "Kami help me, you are _so _lucky we are in the hospital, otherwise I'd be punching your pretty little mask off." She grumbled, pushing past the man.

She walked into the lounge, the other medics looking up in surprise when she was followed by the ANBU operative. Studiously ignoring the masked man, Sakura walked over to the simmering pot of life. Pouring herself some coffee, Sakura sighed happily as she drank.

"Hokage's office…" a masculine voice reminded her.

"Shut up, I just came from surgery; give me a break, will ya?" Sakura snapped.

"Is that why you've been a bad mood?"

Sakura whirled to glare into the mask. "You are really talkative for an ANBU, you know that?"

She sipped from her coffee again, snarling under her breath. "No sleep last night, two major surgeries, and now I'm stuck with a talkative ANBU jerk. Just great."

Another manly chuckle.

Sakura turned back to the counter and set her mug on the counter. "Fine, fine. Let's go."

With purposeful steps, the pinkette strode to the Hokage's office, aware of the ANBU shadowing her path. She was really going to have to tell Tsunade about this new idiot. Did he hit his head or something? ANBU were never this talkative.

He appeared again in front of the Hokage's office, opening the door for her. Sakura could sense the smirk behind the mask and scowled.

"Haruno-san has arrived, Hokage-sama." The ANBU operative announced.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him as he turned to close the door, and saw his shoulder shake with silent laughter. The door clicked shut behind her before she realized someone else was in the room.

This man was tall, thick, and muscular; his body build similar to Ibiki's. Sakura was aware of his eyes studying her, and she shifted nervously. His hair was red, with a streak of white standing out on the right side of his face, hanging straight at jaw length. His face was heart shaped, with piercing jade eyes, cold and calculating. They seemed to soften as he gazed at her. This man looked to be about Kakashi's age, with a small scar along his left jaw.

His arms were crossed over a large chest, rippling with rock hard muscles that she could see through his muscle shirt, sleeveless and similar to the ANBU shirts. He wore nin pants and combat boots, and a long coat over that.

However intimidating this man was, radiating a dangerous aura, Sakura noticed the way his eyes flashed with recognition for a moment.

_Oh dear._ She thought when she glimpsed a white circle on the right flap of his coat. _They didn't even wait 24 hours!_

"Sakura-chan…" Tsunade started awkwardly, interrupting the staring contest. "This is…"

"My name is Haruno Arashi." His deep bass cut in.

Sakura gulped looking into his stoic jade eyes.

"You are Haruno Sakura, I presume."

Somehow she managed to nod her head.

Abruptly the man turned to Tsunade. "This is the girl then? Good. We will leave now."

As the large man turned to walk out the door, Tsunade snapped. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

Sakura cringed, feeling trapped between two tigers.

The man, Arashi, turned to have a glaring match with the Hokage. "I am a Haruno, sent to retrieve a lost child."

"Sakura is hardly a lost child!" Tsunade clipped. "On what grounds are you removing her from the village? I certainly do not remember you giving permission to take her away."

_I can't even celebrate my fourteenth birthday in peace…_ Sakura thought sullenly.

"The Haruno clan has summoned all its children, which includes Sakura." Arashi countered. "Even as Hokage, you cannot interfere with Clan duties."

"I can if it affects my village, Arashi-san." Tsunade stated. "And Sakura is a valued medic who we cannot afford to lose."

Arashi made an annoyed grunt under his breath, Sakura ignoring the colorful word. "Our clan duties are not affecting your precious village in any way. Since there are no immediate emergencies, you cannot keep Sakura here when she is being summoned."

Tsunade knew she was beaten.

Arashi turned to Sakura. "Your family and birthright are waiting for you."

Sakura stared up at him.

"Come, Sakura." He ordered, and she knew that she was no longer under the Hokage's protection. Tsunade gave her an apologetic look, and Sakura turned to follow Haruno Arashi.

"Goodbye, Sakura." The Godaime whispered.

_{*~*~*}_

They didn't stop at her apartment. She never said goodbye to any of her friends. Nor did they exit through the village gates.

Sakura was shocked when he approached an unguarded part of the wall that encircled the village. The buildings around were just tall enough that the patrols would be unable to see him grip a part of the mortar and pull it just far enough that Sakura could see a hollowed out passage in the wall.

Arashi ignored the way Sakura's mouth gaped open like a fish and pushed her into the dark passageway, shutting the brick wall behind them.

Utter darkness.

And then, Sakura saw a pair of glowing green eyes.

She shrieked.

"Damn, girl. Don't do that." Arashi flinched as the close stone walls amplified Sakura's yell so that it pierced both their ears.

"Sorry." Sakura whispered.

"Follow me." He muttered.

Sakura somehow thought to grip the back of the man's coat as he walked confidently down the dark passage while all Sakura could see was black.

"Uh… why are your eyes glowing?" she ventured to ask.

Arashi glanced at her; she could tell because for a moment she actually saw something other than darkness. The jade color his eyes were in the sunlight was suddenly a vibrant emerald in the darkness. Sakura wondered why her eyes never did that.

"So you never discovered huh?" he asked her.

Sakura felt a stab of indignation. "No shit." She snapped, bumping into Arashi's back as he whirled around and flicked her in the forehead. "Hey!"

He gave her a disapproving look at her cussing before turning to walk away again.

By now they had to be approaching the other side of the wall, and just as the thought crossed Sakura's mind, Arashi stopped and began tugging on something.

"Uh… need help?"

Arashi paused and glanced at her. "You have Tsunade's strength?" he questioned.

Sakura nodded.

Without speaking, Arashi stepped away from the wall and pushed her forward.

"I, uh, can't see a thing." Sakura squeaked.

She heard him move behind her and suddenly her hands were placed on the crack in the wall. With a quiet 'thank you' Sakura grabbed the cracks and began easily pulling the large piece of stone out of its place. Light flooded her senses, and Sakura had to take a moment to squint and wait for her eyes to adjust.

Arashi pushed her out of the passage and followed her. Sakura turned to close the passage, making a mental note to fix the breach in security when she returned.

"So why didn't we just leave through the gates?" Sakura asked him as he began to walk briskly away from the wall before the patrols spotted them. She had to jog to keep up.

He slowed down after they had reached a reasonable distance from the village. "Let's just say the Konoha elders were never exactly on good terms with the Harunos."

"Why?" Sakura asked.

He slanted a glance at her. "You will learn when we reach the compound."

Sakura felt something stir in her chest at the word 'compound. But it was not a good feeling. In fact, it felt strangely ominous.

"So can you tell me why your eyes were… well, glowing?" she asked again.

He huffed as if it should be obvious. "Night vision."

_He's as much of a conversationalist as Neji._ She thought sarcastically, refusing to think of a much different stoic, duck-butt boy.

"And why do you have night vision?" She asked.

"You will learn."

Sakura huffed. _Seriously?_

So she stayed quiet and tried to figure out which direction they were heading. It looked to be east, as the sun was setting at their backs. Still, since she was unsure of which direction they had exited Konoha, she wasn't sure where they might be headed.

…

Other than occasionally asking Arashi for some of his water, they walked silently all day. All day. Without stopping. Yep, still walking.

…

Finally they stopped for the night. Arashi tossed Sakura his sleeping roll, saying he would keep night watch. Used to dealing with such men (i.e. Kakashi, Neji, certain duck-butts…) Sakura figured who was she to object and he could deal with the consequences.

Just as she laid down in the bed roll he spoke up.

"You look like her."

Sakura's head snapped up in surprise. "…Huh?"

There was a long pause in which Arashi simply watched her from his tree branch. Finally, he spoke, so softly, she almost missed it. "… Your mother."

Sakura froze, her eyes narrowing. "Don't mention my parents to me." She hissed, turning her back to him and closing her eyes.

…

In the morning, they were off again, the night's previous conversation, if it could be called one, seemingly forgotten.

The longer they walked, the more a feeling of dread pooled in her stomach. Sakura knew the reason her parents had not wanted her to be raised by the clan, why they had run away with their little girl. She did not remember anything about her first two years growing up with the Haruno clan, and before she had turned three her parents had fled to seek refuge in Konoha.

Her father and mother had told her stories- the Haruno clan was brutal in their training and in their traditions. Worse than the Uchiha or Hyuuga. It was the reason why her parents had been so against her becoming a kunoichi. The Harunos did not just expect one to hide their emotions, but expect one to be without emotions and ruthless in their actions. Quick, efficient, unquestioning of orders. Her parents never went into detail, but whatever methods the Harunos used, they were effective.

…

"Here." Arashi's voice interrupted the quiet air that had surrounded them throughout the trip.

A tall wall blocked everything from view, but as the iron gates opened to let them in, Sakura glanced up at the large mansion and gasped in awe. The location was surrounded by trees, yet she saw acres of flat land no doubt used for training. The compound was huge, stretching beyond her knowledge. The architecture was obviously well maintained, she could tell buildings had been built long ago, yet it looked as if she had stepped back through time. And the gardens! Flowers of every kind bloomed in beautiful, well maintained swirls and bushes. Lilac, snapdragons, roses of every color, gardenias, poppies, irises, lilies, and many more.

"It's beautiful." She murmured, not noticing the way Arashi glanced at her with regret.

"Come." He said gruffly, and led her into the mansion.

Sakura attempted not to gawk at the sheer opulence of the interior. It was extravagant, per se. It was all simple beauty. She knew the materials were the best of the best (were those marble statues from Iwa?), but it was lacking that feeling of being lived-in, lacking the warmth of a true home. Everything was pristine and clean, but cold and unfeeling. And she saw no people.

"Where is everyone?" she asked softly.

Arashi turned to look at her, towering over Sakura by an entire foot. "It would be wise for you to not speak unless spoken to. They are having a clan meeting in your honor-"

Sakura snorted.

"-and so everyone has gathered to welcome you home." He finished, giving her a glare.

_In my honor?_ She huffed inwardly. _I am the daughter of those they consider traitors. I doubt they consider me anything less than scum. They are just too proud to let one of their own blood go running rampant._

Sakura followed Arashi into the main dining hall, from the looks of it. As he stepped to the side, unblocking her view of the room, Sakura was surprised. After all, she had no idea what to expect from her family, having never met any relatives before.

The table was long. Like, really long. On either side sat many Harunos, all gazing up at her with veiled curiosity, a mixture of red and white hair, with one or two pink haired ninjas. At the end sat a wizened woman, whose jade eyes seemed to be as old as time, with many stern wrinkled around her eyes and mouth. Sakura suspected this to be the infamous Haruno matriarch, whom her parents had only ever referred to in whispers.

The woman looked a lot like how Sakura would imagine herself in 100 or so years. Sakura suspected that instead of her hair graying over the years, it had paled, for the elder woman had the palest pink hair, held in place by ornate chopsticks. Her hands were placed firmly on the table, surprisingly less wrinkled than her age would suggest. Sharp jade eyes seemed to stare straight into Sakura's soul, and Sakura felt as if the woman were sinking her claws into her mind.

"So this is Haruno Sakura."

Sakura managed not to flinched at the voice, cracking like a whip. "Yes, my lady."

The old woman's thin lips twitched. "It seems my treacherous descendants at least did not fail to instill manners into you, my daughter."

Sakura's eyes flashed with curiosity. "Forgive me, my lady," thank Kami being Tsunade's apprentice had taught her diplomacy, "but I do not follow. Why do you refer to me as your 'daughter'?"

The woman let out a sharp, clipped laugh, the sound grating. "I am your ancestor by a few generations, my child. I simply refer to my descendants as my children. But to be frank, I am your great-grandmother."

Sakura nodded slowly.

"I am Etsuyo." The woman chuckled. "But as my daughter, you may simply refer to me as Baa-san."

Sakura didn't particularly want to refer to her as 'Baa-chan' but she knew it would be rude not to. And she had a feeling this woman was not one of piss off.

"Baa-san." Sakura murmured with a respectful bow, trying to swallow the bitter taste in her mouth.

"Arashi-kun, thank you for bringing home dear Sakura-chan." Etsuyo smiled at Arashi, who was standing behind Sakura. The smile looked painful on the older woman.

Sakura had to admit, Tsunade had nothing on her apparent ancestor. While she doubted Etsuyo had Tsunade's secret youth technique, the woman had without a doubt aged well. If Etsuyo was as old as Sakura suspected, she didn't have nearly the amount of wrinkles she should have. This old woman looked fifty, when she should be at least eighty.

"Why was I summoned, my lady?" Sakura questioned, unnerved by the blank expressions of the clan members.  
>"Dear child, I insist you call me baa-san." Etsuyo chuckled. "I called because we, the Harunos, wished to bring our lost blood back into the fold!"<p>

Etsuyo was not nearly as ecstatic as her words suggested, her face barely betraying emotion other than her obviously fake smile.

"That does not answer my question, baa-san."

A sickeningly sweet smile lit the elder face of Sakura's grandmother.

"You are here to become a Haruno."

Suddenly the room became very cold as Sakura realized none of her apparent relatives were looking at her with any semblance of warmth or welcome.

Sakura unconsciously took a step back.

"You trained under the Godaime, correct Sakura-chan?" Etsuyo asked with a calculating glance.

"H-hai." Sakura answered, glancing around the room cautiously. She was badly outnumbered, and had no doubt at least half the people in the room could kill her with their hands tied.

"Don't act so reluctant, my child." Etsuyo soothed, and Sakura was reminded of the witches in fairytales that tell the innocent girl that they are helpless old women. "You training will be most advantageous."

Bright jade eyes locked with a predatory, hawk-like set that mirrored the color. "What do you want from me?" Sakura began to formulate plans of escape, instinctively reaching for her kunai.

There was a dark laugh. "Sakura… we are going to turn you into a living, breathing weapon. Is that not what you've always wanted?"

The other Haruno members had already gotten to their feet, watching Sakura impassively. Their stances were deceptively relaxed, yet ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Her relatives were so utterly emotionless, Sakura was painfully reminded of ANBU Root.

"And if I refuse?" Sakura dared question.

Etsuyo's eyes sharpened into daggers of ice, her voice hissing in a way that would have made Orochimaru jealous. "**I'm afraid you do not have a choice. Your blood is mine.**"

The Haruno clan attacked.


	2. Chapter 1: Let The Flames Begin

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR PARAMORE**

**As I warned before: DARK CONTENT**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One: Let the Flames Begin<span>

_It changed her._

_It wasn't training._

_It was torture._

_Blood and sweat… lots of blood… lots of sweat… and tears were punished._

_This kind of training would have been illegal in Konoha. Sakura would have bet it was on par with the old traditions of the bloody Mist._

_She was stripped of her identity. They cut to her core and kept cutting. Peeling away the layers until she was bare to the world. Until nothing else existed except that moment in time._

_She learned not to feel._

_She learned not to think._

_She learned not to want anything more than what they gave her._

_{*~*~*}_

_What a shame we all became_

_Such fragile broken things_

_A memory remains_

_Just a tiny spark_

_I've given all my oxygen_

_So let the flames begin_

_O glory_

_{*~*~*}_

She didn't know where they were taking her. Sakura had fought as hard as she could, until her chakra was nearly nonexistent, until she could barely breathe. But they kept coming.

The Harunos were fierce fighters. That day she learned this the hard way. None of them even broke a sweat fighting her, none of them looked even challenged.

She was weak.

But they would make her stronger. Etsuyo promised her as Sakura fell to her knees in defeat. But now Sakura could only think that she didn't want to get stronger. She didn't want to become what they were: unfeeling killing machines.

They had captured her easily, so easily it was laughable. Then they placed a hood over her head, bound her head to toe in chakra restraints, and then she was tossed over someone's shoulders. They must have given her some kind of sedative, because Sakura couldn't move a muscle.

She heard the drops of water hitting stone. Jostled as her carrier descended down steps, Sakura listened to the barely audible footsteps on stone. She was so disoriented, though, Sakura couldn't tell how long they descended the stairs. All she knew was that they eventually reached a level floor.

There was the creak of rusty hinges and the sound of a heavy door.

They threw her into the cell, down onto a patch (for it certainly couldn't be called a bed) of straw. Or what used to be straw. Now it smelled of decaying plant and musty soil.

She felt the ropes around her body cut loose, but the chakra restraints remained and her limbs were still not functioning. The sound of a door closing left her alone in the dark.

…

…

…

…

Pinpricks of feeling began to surface.

…

She could move a finger. Then a wrist. And finally, she managed to painfully lift her arms so that she tugged off the hood on her head.

Everything was dark.

The smallest crack in the mortar allowed a wimpy ray of light to weakly penetrate the darkness. The light looked so far away…

…

…

…

She laid there for a long time. A long, long time. It had to have been more than a day. Sakura felt moisture in her eyes, and blinked them away. She would not cry.

…

…

…

How long were they planning to leave her here? Had they forgotten she was their prisoner? Since her capture not one person came to so much as look at her. They had left Sakura alone in the cell for so, so long…

…

…

…

Her stomach stopped growling a long time ago. It stopped attempting to eat itself a very long time ago. She was so thirsty… Sakura could feel her ribs if she ran her fingers lightly over her sides. Her strength was gone, and she could no longer lift her legs to stand.

…

…

Steps.

Footsteps.

Lighter than a man.

It was a woman.

The door creaked ominously as it was pushed open, and the faint light of a torch singed her sensitive eyes.

Sakura hissed in pain.

When she managed to look up at her visitor, she immediately saw a pair of glowing green eyes. The woman looked tall, from Sakura's place on the ground. Her eyes watched the prisoner with no emotion, merely studying the kunoichi.

The woman laid down something an left.

After a minute of wondering if the woman would return, Sakura approached the spot she had lain something on the floor. Her muscles trembled with the effort. She had been without sustenance for so long.

When she found what had been left for her, Sakura didn't know if she wanted to cry or laugh.

It was water.

Blessed, blessed water.

And there was only enough for about two sips.

How cruel.

…

…

…

…

Sakura was sure days had passed. She heard squeaking and scuttling at the edge of her hearing, sometimes beady black eyes catching light in her peripheral vision. Rats.

…

…

…

Was it day? Was it night? Time seemed to stop. Sakura was outside of time. Outside of feeling.

She needed food.

She needed water.

Yet the woman who fed her only gave her the bare minimum to keep her alive. From what Sakura had glimpsed, the woman had rosy red hair and plain green eyes. Not jade or emerald, or any brilliant color. Just green.

She left Sakura a piece of bread that made crumbs look like a feast.

…

…

…

Sakura used to dream about the village. She would dream of idiotic, knuckleheaded blondes who were obsessed with ramen. These dreams often made her smile. She would dream of training with Tsuande and Shizune, dreams that made her feel weak. And dreams where she was sitting at Ino's house, and they were gossiping all night, pretending that they were normal girls who didn't risk their lives every day and risk losing their friends with every mission. These dreams made her miss her best friend so much. Only once or twice did she dare let herself dream of duck-butt raven haired boys who were obsessed with revenge, strength, and pride, who wore nothing but blue and liked to brood and call her 'annoying'.

These dreams filled her with heartbreak, which usually led to uncontrollable fury.

…

…

Then the dreams stopped. And she didn't dream again.

…

…

Nera came back. Sakura didn't even move to acknowledge her, didn't even lift her eyes, which stared hopelessly into the shadows. The woman's eyes moved to a daring rodent as it cautiously began to nibble at the pink hair splayed on the floor from the crown of Sakura's head.

"Kill the rat." Nera ordered and left.

Sakura didn't move, nor give any sign she heard.

…

…

…

_"Kill the rat."_

…

The words echoed through her head. Sakura no longer knew how long she had been in the cell, in the darkness, without food or water. Without contact.

She was given one handler, who would be the person she answered to for the rest of her training. The handler had given her a knife. A jagged, filthy, no doubt poisonous knife. And then the handler, Haruno Nera, Sakura had been told, instructed Sakura to kill the rat.

At first the girl had refused to shed a drop of blood for the cruel clan. But she had gone on without food for so, so long.

A so had the rat.

…

…

…

She was desperate. Loyalty, pride, dignity... none of it mattered in the face of survival.

The rat was hungry. At night, when she tried to sleep, it began to nibble on her toes. Screaming herself awake, Sakura pushed it away and curled into the corner of the cell. But each time she had begun to fall into slumber, the rat got bolder and bolder, attempting to feed itself off her flesh.

_"Kill the rat."_

Sakura grabbed the knife and held onto it, feeling like she had reverted back to the genin girl who didn't even know how to hold a kunai properly. Curling with her knees under her chin into the corner of the cell, pressing cold concrete into her back, Sakura began to whimper uncontrollably.

"_Kill the rat."_

…

…

Not long afterwards, as her fingers became slack around the knife and her exhausted eyes began to shut, she felt a sharp bite on her foot. Her eyes shot open, knowing that she was being eaten alive.

With a cry, she instinctively sliced the knife down.

Warm liquid spurted onto her leg and arm, and the rat began to screech in pain.

Suddenly she couldn't stop herself, and the knife kept coming down and stabbing, over and over, making sick squelching noises as she mutilated the rodent.

Her heartbeat was about to explode.

…

…

Nera nodded in approval as she entered to find the pinkette holding the bloodied knife, a dead rat next to her.

The girl looked up at Nera with empty eyes, her fingers curling around her weapon. Nera brought out a slightly larger piece of bread, about the size of Sakura's bony palm. Setting it down next to a small glass of water, the woman left the girl to her reward.

…

…

…

Many more days passed. Sakura killed any rat that got too close with a swift slash of her knife.

She didn't think anymore.

She didn't hope.

She didn't dream.

All that existed was the darkness, the rats, and the woman that brought her the life-giving sustenance of bread and water.

…

…

…

Nera spoke when she opened the door. "Normally we would have put you through this years ago, when you were still a child. We call this the First Lesson."

Sakura barely registered the words.

"The Second Lesson is where we introduce you to your weapon." The handler unfastened the weapon at her hip and held it up for Sakura to see.

It looked to be strange knife, carved from some solid blood red solid. Sakura couldn't tell if it was supposed to be wood or stone. Black veins crisscrossed across the glossy surface, and in the flickering torch light they seemed to writhe torturously. The handle was a dark red leather, with a loop that attached it to Nera's wrist, Nera's name blazed onto the strap.

The longer Sakura stared at the weapon and the almost lively veins, the louder a whisper became in her ears. Louder and louder. Until it became a sound. And suddenly she was listening to far away voices, deathly, haunting voices that whispered evil secrets into her ears, caressing the blackness in her soul. Urging her to listen to their song of gleeful pain, of tortured weeping. It embodied evil into one, horrible, mournful, terrifyingly beautiful tone that echoed into her being.

She didn't notice her hand creeping closer until Nera snatched the object away.

"Nah-ah." Sakura's handler tsked. "This baby is mine. You will receive yours, though, once you pass the First Lesson. It is your birthright."

Sakura's body collapsed as the deadly tune left her mind, leaving her already fuzzy mind in an even deeper haze. Nera turned to leave, shutting the door behind her.

The pinkette hardly noticed. The rush that the mere sound of that- that- _weapon_ gave was so potent that she felt as if she had just been saved from drowning without realizing she had been sinking. Her head was spinning, pulse beating at a pace that no human heart should be capable of; raw, unbridled power still fading from her veins. Sakura had never been high before, but she was quite certain this _thing _was giving her a high that would put all other drugs to shame.

She wanted _more_.

She craved _more._

She _needed_ more.

…

…

…

The song never left her head.

It was still there, like a memory just out of reach, just barely tangible. Sakura couldn't get it out of her head. It was just so… so…

_Alluring._

It called her. Beckoned her. Promises of love, power, a place in the world. But most of all, it loved _her_.

When memories, painful memories that promised tears and loneliness threatened, the song was there to drive them away. It caressed her aching heart, and brought her warmth in the dark, dank cell. It hugged her soul, murmured sweet nothings in her ears. It spread like fire through her veins, making her feel alive.

The song _wanted_ her alive.

It was waiting for Sakura to come claim it.

…

…

Not too long after her first exposure to what Sakura began to refer to as the _Song_, she killed another rat.

But she hadn't expected the pleasure it would bring to the Song.

The moment her jagged knife cut the rat the Song rejoiced, and filled her with boundless, restless energy, urging her to go on. As a parent hugs their child to encourage them when they do something good, the Song wrapped its invisible arms around her soul and hugged. It was not enjoying the kill, Sakura felt, but the fact that she had _protected herself_.

The Song wanted her safe.

It loved her.

…

…

…

…

Nera opened the door. Sakura looked up this time, her eyes dilated, glowing a startling emerald green in the darkness. The girl's gaunt cheeks were flushed, her pink hair, though covered in grease, grime, and blood, shone almost brilliantly with pink. The handler's lips twitched as she gently set a dwindling flame onto a ledge by the doorway.

Sakura's eyes followed her every move closely.

"You have until that candle flickers out." Nera said without an explanation. "Otherwise the rats will get you."

And then Nera threw a piece of raw meat into the middle of the room and shut the door.

Immediately the rats swarmed from their hiding places, ready to fight Sakura for their meal.

The Song roared in her veins and she lifted the knife expertly.

…

…

…

…

…

When the redheaded Haruno stuck opened the door to Sakura's cell again, a triumphant Sakura stood in the middle of the room, covered in blood, but alive.

The knife never left her hand, shining scarlet in the light of the torch Nera carried. After a small glance at the stub of what had been a candle, Nera opened the door further and beckoned the pinkette to come to her.

"Drop the knife." She ordered.

Sakura dropped the knife without hesitation.

"Follow."

Sakura followed Nera without a word. The handler led the pinkette to another room in another hallway.

"In here."

Sakura entered the room first, Nera following behind. In her weakened state, Sakura barely turned her head as the pressure point in her neck was hit. She crumpled to the floor.

…

…

…

She let out a small groan as she awoke, her body strapped to a chair. A lone light bulb hung from a chain attached to the concrete ceiling, flickering weakly. Two male figures stood in front of her, towering over her form, wearing red masks carved into demonic faces grinning gleefully at her.

"She is awake." A tenor voice told the second man.

The one spoken to turned around to look at Sakura. "Good. Let's begin."

…

…

"Do you pledge loyalty to the Haruno clan?"

She didn't answer. At least, she wasn't going to until her blood began to boil. The straps on the chair restrained her as she screamed and thrashed in the chair. But she knew even if she could get out of the chair, she could not escape her blood.

A cold feeling washed over her in pure clarity.

"_Your blood in mine!"_

Sakura felt herself pale at the memory of Etsuyo's words. Her blood really did belong to the Harunos!

"Do you pledge loyalty to the Haruno clan?" The masked man with a bass voice persisted.

Sakura ground her teeth.

The Song returned. She almost cried out in relief at the familiar presence when something stopped her rejoicing short.

The Song was not happy with her.

In her unstable state, Sakura begged the Song to tell her why it had abandoned her, even if she could never logically communicate with a song.

It response shocked her.

The Song _wanted_ Sakura to pledge loyalty to the Haruno clan!

No!

She would not betray Konoha!

But they weren't asking her to betray Konoha, the Song told her. She could pledge herself to both.

Sakura felt her resolve waver.

The Song begged her to pledge. She had to pass the First Lesson! She had to inherit her birthright! The Song could not join with her until she did. The Song _begged_ her not to leave it. It needed to join with Sakura!

In her mind, Sakura asked why.

The Song went silent for a moment, and Sakura's mind went into utter chaos without its constant presence. Where had it gone? No it couldn't leave her! She would lose sanity without it! The silence was overwhelming, she couldn't think, she couldn't-

The Song returned and soothed her aching soul, letting her forget about the blood boiling in her veins.

Then the Song answered her question.

Sakura gasped out loud.

"Still resisting?" the tenor voice of one of the masked men asked.

Sakura ignored him, concentrating on the information the Song had told her.

_It was dying._ If the Song did not join with her soon, it would die. And with it, a part of her she had never realized was missing.

She had to pledge herself to the Harunos to save the Song.

Hanging her head as the feeling of molten lava coursing through her veins overwhelmed her senses, Sakura let out a choked scream. So much pain… Everything was bathed in red… The pain…

The Song cried out to her.

"Make it stop!" Sakura finally screamed with her disused vocal chords, feeling as if her throat were ripping apart. "Please! Stop!"

The pain ceased.

Her form sagged into the chair as the pain left her, leaving her exhausted. How long had she been tortured? Now that the pain was gone, she no longer had any bearings of her surroundings.

Remaining sobs shuddered through her body as tears burned their paths down her cheeks.

"I…." she panted, swallowing although her throat although she had been dehydrated for days now. "I… p-pledge… my alleg…iance…t-to the… Haru-… Harunos…" she coughed out.

The two men nodded.

"Good." The one with the bass voice told her. "Now you've passed the first question."

She felt all strength leave her as a foreboding feeling came over her.

The one she was sure had the tenor voice approached her and laid an icy rag around her neck, cooling the scorched skin. Sakura sobbed with relief.

"Let's continue." They rumbled together. "On to the next question."

Sakura cried out in anguish as the torture continued.

…

…

…

And so again Sakura lay motionless in her cell. No light. No sound. No life. Her mind was completely blank, her thoughts too tired to think of anything other than food, water, and survival. And even those were hard to achieve.

They had tortured her twenty-seven times now.

The Harunos did not tell her why, they just bound her to a chair and began to hurt her. Sakura felt as if they were physically stripping her of her pride and dignity. By now she did not cry anymore, especially after they began sending bits of electricity into the water of her tears to shock her. They had a medic on hand to heal her if anything went too far.

She had forgotten the village. Her life before the dark cell seemed like a dream. Her reality had been replaced with musty stone and dripping blood. All Sakura had left was the Song. After hours of torture sessions, the Song came to her and soothed her pain, and lulled her to sleep.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Sakura."

The pinkette's eyes snapped to the open door, squinting in the blinding light of a dying torch. Her body stayed still as the door swung wide open. Nera turned and glanced back at Sakura, indicating the girl to follow.

With rigid discipline, the girl stood and walked with trembling limbs to the door.

"It is time to begin the Second Lesson."

Sakura nodded her head, but her face betrayed no emotion, her eyes dull and lifeless.

…

The Song rejoiced.


	3. Chapter 2: Whisper

**I DONT OWN NARUTO BUT I OWN THIS PLOT**

**I'm back!~ This chapter is shorter than I'd like it to be, but if I kept writing it would be x3 and long (although I know you all would have loved that I wanted to save some for the next chapter).**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Two: Whisper<span>

_Oh how glorious it was._

_Whispers, singing that melody._

_How mesmerizing._

_How delightfully haunting._

_Mourning and wailing laced together in the background,_

_Enhancing this tune that wove itself into her mind,_

_Caressing her soul, kissing her heart._

_Promises of power and protection._

_Flutters danced through her chest as the symphony crescendos_

_A voice, so beautiful, murmurs in her ears…_

"_Let me make you stronger."_

_{*~*~*}_

_I'm frightened by what I see_

_But somehow I know _

_That there's much more to come_

_Immobilized by my fear_

_I seem to be blinded by tears_

_I know I can stop the pain_

_If I will it all away_

_Whispered voices at my ears_

_Whispered voices at my ears_

_{*~*~*}_

She stumbled again.

"Pick your feet up, girl." Nera's voice clipped. "Even in the weakest state a Haruno never falters!"

That's right… She was a Haruno. Sakura Haruno.

No… Her name didn't sound right anymore. In Konoha- _she winces_- her name, Sakura, had always been said with love and affection. _Sakura_ was the name of a sweet young girl from Konoha, training to become a medic and prove her worth to her sensei, teammates, and a traitor. _Sakura _was the name of a merciful little doctor that adored her shisou, laughed with the flower shop girl, Ino, and maybe, kinda, might have had a small crush on Hyuuga Neji a year ago. _Sakura _lived alone in alone in a one bedroom and bathroom apartment just down the street from the Yamanaka flower shop, where Naruto crashed in her bed with her six out of seven nights of the week.

Who was she?

Who was this skeletal girl with greasy, limp pink hair that reached mid-back?

Who was she, that had eyes that seemed to be dull even though they glowed green?

Who was this emancipated corpse, still walking though her soul had left?

She hit her foot on a step, now realizing that they were heading upwards. To the surface. Oh Kami, what she would give to see sunlight again, to feel the wind in her hair, feel rain on her skin, to smell fresh wildflowers.

"Watch your step, girl!" Nera huffed. "You are a Haruno! Do not act so disgraceful."

_Girl._

How come Nera never called her by her name?... Wait- when _was_ the last time someone had called her name?

"Move it." Nera called over her shoulder. "Straighten up and walk, for heaven's sake, girl. At least act like you have some strength."

The girl she used to be would have at least sighed before complying, or at least made a sarcastic mental remark. Instead, she mindlessly straightened her back and nodded listlessly at Nera.

Her handler turned and briskly headed up the stairs.

When Nera opened the door, Sakura could have cried. From the torchlight, Sakura knew that, although closer to the surface, she was still stuck underground.

"Follow." Nera ordered, and turned left into a corridor.

Soon she became dizzy with the sheer number of twisting and turning corridors. There was an entire maze beneath the Haruno residence! How did anyone remember it all?

Eventually Nera turned down a hall that led to a dead end. One single, ominous wooden door stood at the end of the hallway, and suddenly the voices attacked her mind. Sucking in a sharp breath, she realized that not one, but several Songs were slithering through her thoughts.

Sakura nearly fell in her haste to get to the door before Nera grabbed her arm and threw her into the wall.

"Patience." Nera chuckled darkly.

Scrambling to her feet, her body practically quivered with need. Need for what, she could not guess. All she knew was that she _needed_ to get to the other side of that door. Where the Song awaited her.

Sure enough, as Nera opened the door and allowed her prisoner in, the Songs launched themselves into her head, clamoring for her to listen. But one Song was louder, more prevalent, than the others, and soon eclipsed all other noises in the room.

"Ah, my child. I see you have already chosen your Blodrhun."

Her body froze at the sound of the voice. Smooth. Silky. Deadly. Cunning and wise. Etsuyo.

Slowly, her body turned on its own accord to face her ancestor. Nera was bowing before the regal woman, two other large men, presumably more Harunos, flanked Etsuyo. Etsuyo was beautiful, dressed in a deep green Kimono with red flower petals embroidered on the fabric, a lighter green obi pulled around her torso, two large rubies hanging from her ears. Pale pink hair piled on top of her hair with various hair ornaments keeping it in place, flinty green eyes measuring and calculating her. The lines on Etsuyo's face did not mar her appearance in the least, merely a testament to the luxurious beauty Etsuyo no doubt had once been.

The sight left the pinkette speechless. Here was the woman she had only met once before, yet was easily the person she most feared in the world. Her ancestor. A woman named Haruno Etsuyo, whom she had never known existed not five minutes before their first meeting.

"Don't just stand there, child." Etsuyo tutted. "Bow to your matriarch."

Her thoughts went quiet. Suddenly a voice from somewhere deep within her weary mind roared to life, refusing to bow to this hateful, deceitful woman.

"No." Her hoarse, unused voice scraped inaudibly.

Etsuyo's eyes flashed, seemingly hearing the girl's refusal. "Don't be stubborn, my child." The elderly Haruno crooned in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Listen to Obaa-sama."

Etsuyo's voice, like slimy, slippery honey, swirled through her rebellious thoughts, confusing the pinkette as her mind became fuzzy and befuddled.

"N-No…" Sakura muttered.

"What did you say?" Etsuyo's voice drifted into her mind from far away.

The Song entered her head. It was close. So very, very close. All she had to do was say yes. That was all she had to do. Say yes to the great Etsuyo.

The voice of reason and rebellion screamed inside her head as Etsuyo's soft honey voice smothered it away, pushing the light out of her heart.

Sakura felt her knees buckle.

"There." Etsuyo beamed at the kneeling girl, smiling proudly. "Listen to Obaa-sama, my dear child."

The elderly woman approached the pinkette, who was holding her head in her hands. Nera and the other Harunos protested softly to their matriarch, telling her that their prisoner was still too dangerous and resisting, but Etsuyo would have none of their idiotic whining.

"My child, does your head hurt?"

The pinkette looked up at Etsuyo, blinking a couple times before her eyes focused on the elderly lady. "I… My head… Spinning… why?"

Etsuyo chuckled and gently pulled the girl's hands away from her head and began to massage the child's temples. "Feel better?"

The prisoner nodded and her eyes slipped closed, relaxing under the old woman's ministrations.

"There, there." Etsuyo crooned. "Obaa-sama will make it all better." Pulling her descendant's head towards her body, Etsuyo gently rocked the younger pinkette's body until the young woman's eyes flickered open again.

Etsuyo knelt before the younger pinkette, the close proximity between the matriarch and the prisoner putting the other Haruno soldiers on edge.

"Now tell me, child," Etsuyo's voice cooed silkily. "What is your name?"

The girl shook her head. "My… name?"

Etsuyo grinned. "Yes, your name."

"S-Sak…" the young woman's voice trailed off. "I'm… I'm…"

Etsuyo answered for her. "You are, first and foremost, a Haruno."

The girl's eyes snapped wide open in recognition. "Yes. I am a Haruno." She stated with a nod. The name sounded so familiar, so _right_, ringing with truth in her ears.

"You are named Sakura."

Yes. Yes, the woman's words were true. Her name was Sakura. Sakura… Sakura…

"You are Haruno Sakura. Sakura of the Haruno Clan, and your loyalty is to no other." Etsuyo said firmly, and all Sakura could do was nod dumbly.

"Now then." Etsuyo stood, looking at Sakura with pride and affection that made Sakura's heart warm. "It is time for your introduction as a Haruno. Starting with your Blodrhun."

"A… Blodrhun?" Sakura had to wrap her lips around the odd word, although her mouth seemed to know exactly how to pronounce the word. Slightly rolling the "r" and pronouncing the "o" like 'hoh', and tapping her tongue hard to make a strong "d" sound. _Bl-hoh-d-r-huhn._

"It is the most powerful weapon of the Harunos. Once you have chosen one, it will become a part of you." Etsuyo explained, helping Sakura to her feet. "Such power has a price, though, and it will require much sacrifice."

Sakura glanced at Etsuyo curiously. "You mean the Song?"

The elderly woman chuckled. "It may seem like a song at first, young one, but it is so much more. The Blodrhun are weapons of pain and torture. They are immensely loyal to their masters, though; once tamed. It is a give and take relationship, and not to be taken lightly."

Etsuyo held onto Sakura's hand and led the girl to another room. Inside were rows of the same red material Nera's knife had been made of. Sakura counted seventeen of these… things. They were shaped like a baton, with a handle and leather loop at one end and a rounded stick on the other.

"Why aren't they sharpened?"

Etsuyo chuckled and from the folds of her kimono, revealed her own Blodrhun. "Watch."

And Sakura watched in fascination as the blood red baton in Etsuyo's hand morphed from into a dagger, then a staff, then to a scythe, and a sword, and so on.

"That is why we do not shape our Blodrhun." Etsuyo explained, lovingly stroking her weapon in its basic state. "Now you choose one. Or rather, let one choose you."

Sakura gave the old woman a quizzical look, but stepped towards the row of Blodrhun. Immediately she heard the weapons begin to hum in excitement, seeming to vibrate in on their cushions.

"Listen for your Song." Etsuyo voice drifted into her head.

Immediately Sakura felt a small tug and a cry of elation.

The Song!

It was practically singing wordless praises because its mistress and master was here, and they could finally become one. The Song rejoiced and called out to Sakura, impatiently weaving its melody into her head and it pulled her closer, rejoicing in her presence. Its other half was coming to make them whole; the one it had waited for was going to finally take their birthright! They would be together, become one, and its solitude would end! Now it would not die, for the one it lived for was finally being awakened!

Sakura nearly laughed aloud, a blissful grin on her face as her body walked of its own accord to the Blodrhun at the end of the room. The closer she got, the stronger the vibrations became surrounding the object, until it was pulsing power. The Song urged her to take it, to hold the Blodrhun in her hand, her birthright. Thrumming with pleasure, her heart soared in ecstasy as she reached for the hilt, the light of the room dimming as the Blodrhun glowed black and red. It was almost as if the Blodrhun leaped into her waiting hand, and in triumph, her hand closed around the hilt.

Voices surged into Sakura's mind, overpowering her senses and blocking out reality as wails and cries of pain and torture, hisses and whispers promising the world, a melody so haunting and beautiful swirling into a chaotic mess in her head. The black, smoky veins running along the Blodrhun writhed violently along the red, marble-like surface and the weapon's outline became vague as its morphing powers were awakened.

Sakura screamed in agony and the veins on her right arm bulged out and turned black, the color traveling up from where her hand gripped the Blodrhun. She felt as if her very soul was being forcefully broken apart, and refitted with new pieces, molded with a new substance. The burning sensation ripped through her veins and she gasped and screeched for it to stop. Unable to move, Sakura struggled to tell her hand to let go of the Blodrhun, but the song in her head refused.

They were one.

It would never let her go, now that they were joined.

Sakura gasped as her fingers finally went slack enough that the Blodrhun dropped from her hand. Immediately the pain stopped, but there was a residue of raw, unbridled power thrumming through her veins, pleasure and pain all in one.

She fell backwards and gasped for air, feeling as if she hadn't breathed in years. It was then she realized that her throat was not raw at all. And the screaming and crying she had heard was not from herself. It was from the Blodrhun.

Whimpering, Sakura curled into a ball, careful to stay away from the Blodrhun. She knew she could not stay away for long, though. The moment she had let go of the weapon, Sakura had felt it. The feeling of being whole. The Song had been right. Sakura and her Blodrhun completed each other.

She could never let it go, no matter how much she wanted.

Behind her, reality struck.

Etsuyo was cackling delightedly. "That was the most powerful Joining I have ever witness, aside form my own." She smiled. "You, dear Sakura, have a promising future with the Harunos."

The elder Haruno walked over to Sakura and pulled the girl to her feet. The younger pinkette swayed for a moment, before remembering that weakness was intolerable among the Harunos, and so straightened and kept her face blank. Etsuyo gazed at Sakura with excitement.

"Well?" she demanded breathlessly. "Pick up your Blodrhun."

Sakura bent to pick up the Blodrhun, her grip tightening as the screaming and pain erupted in her head again when she touched it. Nera wordlessly handed Sakura a sheathe for her weapon, and the screeching and wailing whispers immediately stopped the moment Sakura sheathed the object and let go of it.

"The Blodrhun is a forbidden weapon, their art and making lost to the ages many centuries ago." Etsuyo began, knowing what Sakura would want to know. "They feed on pain. And yes, they are alive."

Even emotionless, Sakura felt her eyebrow raise.

"Did yours not tell you it was dying?"

Sakura nodded.

"The Blodrhun choose their masters. There is only one Blodrhun for one Haruno, until that Haruno dies, and the Blodrhun awaits to find a new master once an entire generation has passed. But if their masters never come to claim them, the Blodrhun will die." Etsuyo nodded to Sakura's weapon, safely sheathed. "They are almost an entity unto themselves, so when you have a conversation with yours, know that it is perfectly normal."

That did not sound normal at all.

Etsuyo continued. "These are torture devices of the highest making, created with dark and malevolent powers. Remember what I said about 'give and take'?"

Sakura nodded.

"They do not only cause their victims to suffer, but their bearers as well."

The emotionless mask she had been wearing shattered and Sakura found her eyes staring at Etsuyo in horror.

"Everything your Blodrhun exacts on your victims, you will feel too." Etsuyo's eyes glinted with masochistic glee. "The difference for you, as the master, is that you will learn to ignore and channel that pain right back into your victim. And only the Blodrhun's master may use it. They are very picky weapons, you know."

If Sakura wasn't already starved to death, she would have thrown up in horror at what Etsuyo was describing. Just the mere touch of the Blodrhun was unbearable, but to actually use it against someone?

"Indeed." Etsuyo read the thoughts in Sakura's eyes. "And when you use it against someone, the pain increases tenfold."

Sakura closed her eyes to calm her erratic heartbeat.

"Tomorrow we will begin training you." Etsuyo cackled again, using one long fingernail to push the hair out of Sakura's eyes. "Until then…

Welcome to the family."

* * *

><p><strong>I actually like Etsuyo. Watch out for her, guys, they dynamic between her and Sakura is gonna get complicated ;)<strong>

***Sakura whacks me with a wooden spoon* Don't spoil it!**

**Me: TT_TT sorry!**

**Yes, we are going to eventually get back to Konoha, so bear with me. But unlike most series, I'm not going to skip over the dark and gory details of the training, because I think, in this case, it would definitely take away the seriousness of the story. And I'm sure you readers eventually get tired of writers skipping over the training that changes their characters into emotionless soldiers, and for once want to know how they do it, neh? I know that's how I feel (and one of the reasons why I wrote this story like this).**

**REVIEW!~**


	4. Chapter 3: Blinding

_Chapter Three: Blinding_

_Was it fear?_

_Or exhilaration?_

_She no longer knew anymore._

_Part of her knew that they were wrong_

_But another part wanted the strength they promised_

_Not just physical strength but emotional too_

_It scared her_

_Because part of her wanted to become that heartless killer_

_{*~*~*}_

_And I could hear the thunder and see the lightning crack  
>All around the world was waking, I never could go back<br>Cos all the walls of dreaming, they were torn right open  
>And finally it seemed that the spell was broken<br>No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone_

_{*~*~*}_

"So you are the little lost Haruno that has returned to us." A strawberry blonde woman glared at Sakura.

Nera spoke. "Sakura, this will be your sensei, Kashinu. She will teach you how to wield and fight with a Blodrhun*, and make sure you become strong enough to handle the Blodrhun.

Sakura stared at Kashinu, surprised to see a blonde in the Haruno family, where everyone had either red, white, or on a rare occasion, pink hair. Granted, Kashinu was strawberry blonde, meaning she did have red in her hair, but still, blonde was the farthest thing from their gene pool.

"Well, girl," Kashinu looked Sakura up and down. "I guess I could make a fighter out of you yet. You trained under the Sannin Tsunade, correct?"

Sakura reluctantly nodded.

"Then at least you know how to punch." Kashinu nodded in approval.

She felt a little insulted.

The strawberry blonde glanced at the Blodrhun sheathed on Sakura's hip and her eyes widened imperceptibly; the look of surprise wiped itself off her face before Sakura or Nera could register it.

"Does she show emotion?" Kashinu asked Nera without taking her eyes off Sakura.

Nera nodded. "Apparently Konoha encourages emotions these days. Anyway, I managed to at least force a mask on her, but she has yet to truly rid herself of emotions, or at least lock them away properly."

Kashinu's eyes slid to Nera. "So I have to teach her to lock away her emotions as well? Wasn't that your job?" her voice was devoid of emotions, but somehow Sakura knew Kashinu and Nera didn't get along.

"Blame those Konoha idiots." Nera shrugged.

Was Kashinu gritting her teeth? Sakura couldn't tell.

"And what of her loyalties?" Kashinu asked. "Is she completely devoted to the Harunos?"

Nera looked at Sakura. "Are you?"

It was at this moment that Sakura's stubborn loyal pride decided to rear its ugly head and seal her death. "I am a kunoichi of Konoha."

Nera looked as if she had been slapped in the face (but still somehow kept her face blank) and Kashinu's mouth set itself in a sadistic grin.

"Looks like we have a lively one, this girl." She cackled, her hand sliding to unsheathe her Blodrhun. "Just like a proper Haruno. But it is clear her judgment is clouded. It would seem I'm going to have to break you first, before we can put you back together _properly_**.**"

In the blink of an eye, Kashinu's Blodrhun was on Sakura's skin, and she experienced firsthand how to torture with the Blodrhun. Sakura screamed and Nera took a step back to allow Kashinu to torture Sakura within an inch of her life.

_{*~*~*}_

Kashinu was silent as she threw the bloodied Sakura into a room. The pinkette's mind was so fuzzy that she didn't register anything other than the pain still rushing in her veins and her own screams still ringing in her ears. Her veins showed black on the surface of her skin, pain coursing through them with each pulse of blood, the after-effects of the Blodrhun.

Colliding with the floor, Sakura was too exhausted to even cry out in pain, and vaguely registered the door closing behind her. Then it was dark.

…

…

…

"Hey…"

…

"Hey you. Wake up."

Something poked Sakura, and she felt pain flare at the contact. It hurt. Like, a lot.

"Wake up Sakura."

Her name. The offending appendage poked her again, and Sakura let out a whimper as more pain bloomed at the contact. Light flared behind her eyelids and Sakura found herself blinded by the torch.

"Oh!" the voice was surprised, but not worriedly so. "I see. You must have angered Kashinu-sama."

Sakura peeled open one eyelid to find herself looking into the deepest green eyes she had ever seen in a Haruno. The girl had cropped red hair, with white highlights. Her face was slightly pudgy, her lips pursed in disapproval, and all together she looked quite young.

"Who…" Sakura rasped.

A water jug was shoved into her face.

"Drink first." The young girl commanded. As Sakura struggled to sit up, the younger Haruno sighed and helped the pinkette to a sitting position, leaning Sakura against the wall.

Sakura sighed in relief and brought the water to her lips with a shaky arm. Lacerations covered her forearm, her veins looking like angry, miniscule whip marks. Carefully ignoring them, she savored the cool liquid sliding down her throat, making her feel slightly less deathly.

"My name is Mika." The girl said, sitting down in front of Sakura. "I am one of your cousins."

Sakura studied her cousin carefully, noting that this girl had to be and the most thirteen, and only just starting puberty. Mika's body was scrawny and lanky, with few curves, but clearly exercised in muscle. Her eyes showed more emotion than most Harunos, but Sakura figured it was only a matter of time before this girl became a heartless killer as well.

"Where am I?" Sakura ventured to ask.

Mika gestured to the beds pushed against the wall. "Our room. I will be your roommate for now."

"Roommate?" Sakura asked.

Mika nodded. "You are no longer on Haruno grounds. We are at the Haruno training facility in the Yang'te mountain region."

Sakura scrunched her face and wracked her brain for any memory of a Yang'te mountain range. "I've never heard of such a mountain range."

"I don't know what other people call it." Mika shrugged. "The name has changed with each new occupation."

"Occupation?"

"Yeah, this place," Mika nodded to the snow covered mountains outside their window. "Has been fought over for centuries, and many times the occupiers would change the name. But the Haruno family still calls it by its original name."

Sakura opened her mouth to ask a new question, but Mika suddenly looked up. Then Sakura felt it too.

"Kashinu approaches." Mika whispered just as the door to their room slammed open.

Pinkish-blonde hair was pulled into a severe bun as narrow green eyes studied Sakura. Kashinu strode into the room and bent to pick up Sakura's arm. The pinkette flinched as Kashinu's touch reminded her of her previous torture at the woman's hands, but Kashinu did not let her go. The older woman seemed to study Sakura's still-fading veins before nodding to herself.

"You'll be fine." Kashinu nodded, standing up in her usual imposing manner. "Mika, you will be in charge of this one. Show her the ropes."

Mika nodded meekly.

"I'm also putting you in charge of teaching her the history of the Haruno clan." Kashinu informed Mika. "Sakura's training is very much lacking in Haruno standards, but I do not have the time nor the patience to teach such elementary information. Clean this girl up and have her ready for weapons practice this afternoon. She will be placed in your class."

"Hai, Kashinu-sama!" Mika answered quickly.

Once Kashinu had left, the redhead sighed in relief and turned to look at Sakura. "Well, we should get you cleaned up."

Mika was surprisingly gentle as she bent to help Sakura to her feet and practically carried the older girl into a bathroom. Sakura gingerly sat herself down on the toilet seat and watched as Mika turned on the bath faucet, waiting for the water to warm. Then Mika helped Sakura remove her clothes (what was left of them after her punishment) and helped Sakura into the steaming tub.

Tears streamed down Sakura's face as the warm water stung on her wounds. She tried to soothe the pain with her chakra, then realized that the Blodrhun wounds did not respond to chakra.

_So __**that's**__ why I wasn't able to heal myself…_ She thought. After receiving her injuries, Sakura hadn't been conscious enough to register much.

Sakura hissed in pain as Mika began to wash the wounds with soap, even when the girl had only used a small amount of soap so as not to aggravate the wounds.

"You must learn to take such punishment." Mika said in a softer tone than before. "Kashinu pushes us hard in training."

Sakura remained silent, and heard her cousin sigh behind her.

"Let's see…" Mika murmured. "Where to start?"

For a long moment there was silence. Then, Mika began to tell the tale of the Haruno.

"Our clan is quite old. Not ancient; but old. And proud. Very, very proud.

_The old Haruno were great warriors. Every member of the clan had perfect chakra control, and produced some of the greatest puppeteers in shinobi history. Then our clan began to experiment with their chakra in other way, mainly creating new offensive techniques using raw chakra._

_Thus weapons such as chakra scalpels and chakra whips were created. The Haruno kept pushing the limits of chakra offense. Their main elemental powers were over earth or water. They became involved in the First Great Shinobi war, and there, the downfall of the Haruno began._

_There were three great clans during this time. The most famous, of course, were the Senju and the Uchiha. But there was another. The Haruno._

_The Haruno wanted no part in the war. Their clan preferred to remain neutral in the war, because the Clan Elders and Clan Head at the time realized the war was leading to the self-destruction of countless clans, and the Haruno preferred not to be lost to history._

_But the Haruno Clan was pressured from both sides. Both the Senju and Uchiha were competing for an alliance with the infamous Haruno Clan; and so the clan was caught between two of the most powerful shinobi clan leaders in history: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara._

_The Clan Leader at the time was Haruno Ariane*, a wise young woman, well known for her tactical mind and fighting prowess. It was said that she was a beauty unlike any other, but her fiery temper was socially unacceptable for a woman at that time. It was unusual enough for a clan to allow a woman to be their leader during this time, let alone one that stood up to men and spoke her mind. This made her unattractive in political marriage, but none the less, it is said that Ariane had many suitors still._

_Yet Ariane refused every man. It is said that, when even the Uchiha and Senju finally resorted to offering a marriage alliance to gain the Haruno support, Ariane actually laughed in their faces._

_Ariane steadfastly refused to allow her clan to be caught up in the bloodshed of the Shinobi War. That is, until tragedy befell the Haruno Clan._

_No one is sure to this day which side dared attacked the Haruno. But one thing was certain: That night, a great attack was launched on the Haruno Clan while Ariane was away on a diplomatic mission._

_When Ariane returned, she found that her clan nearly cut in half. Yet none of the survivors even understood what had happened to them. None of the survivors could put what they had endured into words. Their only words were "We were attacked by a monster made man" and all were mentally damaged so badly that they would scream at night._

_Ariane's younger sister and brother had been killed in the attack as well. Those murdered had been savagely ripped and torn to pieces, others dying with looks of absolute horror on their faces while their bodies were untouched. Such terrible brutality had never been witnessed before. In her rage, she collected her clan and withdrew into the Yang'te mountains. There, Ariane and what remained of the Elders hatched a plan. They would cease all contact with the other clans, regardless of whether they may have had any hand in the massacre._

_But this wasn't enough for Ariane. The deaths of her brother and sister had been so heartless and cruel, so brutal, that her heart screamed for revenge._

_And so she left._

_For a month her clan neither saw nor heard from her. During that time, Ariane had used an unknown summoning technique using a full cycle of the moon to call upon a demon. No one is sure which demon it was, but this was the demon that gave the Haruno the Blodrhun. Legend states that Ariane asked three things of the demon: One, to give her clan weapons filled with the wrath of the Haruno, Two, for the survivors of the attack to be healed, and Three, Ariane asked for the identity of her clan's killer._

_And so the Blodrhun was created- born of demonic taint and the grievances of murdered innocents. So tragic was the power that even the masters of such weapons would not be immune to the pain the Blodrhun channeled._

_The demon answered each of Ariane's wishes, although not in how she may have imagined it. The Haruno were granted the Blodrhun weapons, and through these weapons the Haruno were forced to learned to block off pain and emotion. As for the third wish, no one is sure._

_Ariane returned to her clan for a year, granting the Blodrhun to her most powerful warriors. In that year, the clan grew, and more Blodrhun were created for every Haruno that took up arms. The First Shinobi War soon approached Haruno territory, and with their new weapons, the Haruno clan quickly drove out both sides of the war, showing no mercy to both the Senju and Uchiha sides. The Senju and Uchiha had not seen the Haruno clan for two years, and quickly attempted to make an alliance with the Haruno Clan again. But the Haruno had stopped trusting other shinobi clans, and quickly shut down any attempts at diplomacy._

_At the end of the year, though, Ariane announced her cousin, Himoru, as her heir, and stepped down from her place as Clan Head. This, of course, caused much alarm, for Ariane was still young and had become a legendary leader in the Haruno history._

_That night, Ariane disappeared. Most believe that she had only returned long enough to see the Haruno Clan back on its feet before she set off to find her clan's murderer. What happened after Ariane killed the clan killer, no one knows._

How do we know Ariane killed the one behind the massacre? It is said that a year or two later, the Blodrhun became covered in black veins, and every handler of the weapons felt Ariane's and her Blodrhun's joy and triumph as she avenged her brother and sister. After that, though, Ariane never appeared.

Later on, of course, the Haruno eventually lost the key to making Blodrhun, and we now only have the ones that are left, with even fewer Harunos to wield them." Mika rinsed the conditioner out of Sakura's hair. "The Haruno clan never really left the Yang'te mountain range, only moving their village southward into the valley for better agriculture and trade once peace had settled. The Haruno never established contact with any of the other shinobi clans or villages, and we are happy to stay that way."

Mika finished washing Sakura and dried her hands on a towel.

Sakura stayed silent for a long time, still processing the entire story. It was… mind-boggling, to say the least. An entire chapter of Konoha's history had been cut out. She had no doubt it was intentional too.

Something about the story seemed off. It was just a gut feeling of hers, but Sakura's inner self was telling her something wasn't right. First of all, why wasn't the Haruno clan mentioned in of the Konoha texts? Not even in any of the other hidden villages Sakura had been to had ever mentioned the Haruno in their libraries. Not even a hint of the Haruno in Konoha. Why had her clan been cut out from history? Because no one who had ever had contact with either Madara or Hashirama was left out of history. Hell, even Hashirama's _bulter_ had a place in the textbooks! Surely a prominent clan leader, a _female_ clan leader, from their era should have been at least alluded to.

"So…" Sakura finally began. "Why don't any of the other shinobi clans even aware of the Haruno?"

Mika stared curiously at Sakura as the younger girl helped her cousin out of the bathtub. Sakura's legs trembled with the effort to stand. Seeing this, Mika quickly wrapped a towel around Sakura and nearly swept Sakura into their room and placed the pinkette on a bed.

"You should get some rest." Mika stated. "I'll go order some food from the servants and wake you when it arrives. You still have three, more like four, hours to rest before we have to train with Kashinu-sama at four."

Sakura's hand shot out from under the bed covers and captured Mika's wrist. "Answer my question."

Mika stared blankly at Sakura for a long while. "Honestly," she began with a sigh, "I've never been beyond the Haruno compound except for the occasional low-rank mission. I have never had a conversation with another shinobi either, so I wouldn't know anything about the shinobi world you are from."

Sakura nodded and let go of Mika, who left to order their food from the kitchens.

'_**The mysteries just keep getting deeper and deeper.' Inner Sakura murmured, oddly subdued.**_

_Yeah. _Sakura thought frowning as she closed her eyes to sleep. _Looks like we are going to have to do some sleuthing._

'_**Curiosity killed the cat.'**_

* * *

><p><strong>I DON'T OWN ANYTHING<strong>

*** means pronunciation**

*****_Blodrhun- The 'o' in "blod" are slurred, as if in an British accent, the 'd' is tongued with a hard "duh" sound, and the 'rh' make almost a "ruh" sound with the 'u' making a "ue" (blo-hD-rhu-N)_

_*Ariane- All 'a's are pronounced "Ah", the 'r' is rolled slightly with almost a 'dh' sound, the 'i' is "ee", and the 'ne' is pronounced "neh" (Ah-Ree-ah-Neh)_

**Yep, I included pronunciation. If there are any other words you would like to have help on, just ask me.**

**Well, this a complete re-write of the original third chapter. Yeah, in the original version I was getting a little ahead in the story and I wanted to add some depth. Anyway, I had fun with this chapter. Maybe it'll inspire me later on.**

**Like it? REVIEW!**

**Don't like it?... TOO BAD.**

**~Lilithia**


	5. Chapter 4: Bleed It Out

**Once again, I want to remind you all that this is rated M.**

**For. A. Reason.**

* * *

><p><em><span>Chapter Four: Bleed It Out<span>_

_It was a curious weapon._

_But there was something about the Blodrhun._

_It was like it was alive._

_And it fed on misery, pain, and sorrow._

_It sang such a beautiful melody though…_

_Wrapping around my mind._

_Such sweet surrender._

_{*~*~*}_

_I Bleed It Out_

_Digging deeper just to throw it away_

_I Bleed It Out_

_ Digging deeper just to throw it away_

_I've opened up these scars_

_{*~*~*}_

"Learn to curb your fear of pain." Kashinu ordered, walking in a circle around Sakura. "Don't loosen your grip of your Blodrhun one bit! That is your ultimate weapon!"

Sakura ground her teeth. Her veins were screaming in agony, the black lines running up her arms like ink. In her hand the Blodrhun was humming, as if alive, the black veins on its polished red surface writhing.

_It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!_

The pain was echoing through her body, steadily growing more and more unbearable, yet Kashinu did not let Sakura let go. Whenever her hand loosened the woman slapped Sakura's hand, hard. The other Haruno students were elsewhere; Sakura being oh-so-lucky to have Kashinu as her private teacher.

"Your thoughts are wondering." Kashinu warned her. "Do not lose focus or else the Blodrhun will consume your mind."

Sakura turned her thoughts back to the weapon in her hand, biting her lip until blood trickled down her chin. In her ears she could hear the haunting melody of the Blodrhun: cries of anguish, pain, and horror; moans of sorrow and grief; angry screeches of agony and vengeance. Her vision became tinted red as Sakura was sucked into the sentience of the Blodrhun.

She found herself floating in a place she could only describe as Hell, the space around her filled with acrid black smoke tinted with the scent of death, burned and rotting flesh, and blood. The smoke rose against a red sky where large, hideous birds flew in slow circles, their wings covered in gray feathers, their bodies and faces covered in wrinkled, cracked skin, beady eyes flitting over the writhing mass beneath them hungrily. Below her, Sakura began to make out warms and heads among the dark sea below her, made up of blackened souls writhing in pain, their cries the voice of death itself.

One of the birds swooped down, extending its onyx, razor claws, snatching up a body. Another of the creatures followed, its large sharp beak clamping down on the body in the grip of the previous bird, taking one of the legs into its maw as well. The first bird screeched as its fellow mercilessly tore off its foot in its eagerness to eat the human.

Sakura shivered at the sight of such callous ruthlessness. Kashinu's voice sounded in her ears: _Do not be consumed. Wield your Blodrhun._ Averting her eyes from the hell around her, Sakura focused inward, pulling herself out of the depths of her Blodrhun.

She gasped as she broke the spell of the Blodrhun, blinking as she once again found herself in the Haruno training yard. Her weapon was screeching like a banshee in her mind.

"Hold it fast!" Kashinu ordered.

Sakura grabbed the handle with her other hand, forcing both of her hands to grip the Blodrhun, surprised when she found resistance. It was as if her weapon was trying to uncurl her fingers and compel her hands to let go. The pain in her arms was searing white hot; her brain was unable to pinpoint its location other than everywhere, even though Sakura knew the origin of the pain was her Blodrhun. The ringing in her mind steadily rose in pitch, until she thought her ears would burst.

_Screeeeeeeech!_

Suddenly Sakura felt as if a wave of power had washed over her, pushing her back and filling her body. Tendrils of the Blodrhun's presence pervaded her body, curling inside her, gripping her insides, invading her mind. The weapon's consciousness molded itself into her mind, branding a mark on her soul. Sakura screamed and clawed at her body, feeling violated as the foreign presence forced itself to merge with her, every fiber of her body ripped apart as the Blodrhun wove its being with her own.

With her mind so overwhelmed by the many levels of agony, Sakura barely registered Kashinu's words to let go. Uncurling her fingers felt as if it took ages, as her body moved sluggishly, her nerves in shock. Her body shook with the effort, and for an unknown reason her fingers ached.

"I can't… let it go." Sakura croaked out, her throat raw and voice cracked.

Kashinu eyed the Blodrhun cautiously. "It's not letting you go?" she paused. "Try opening up your mind. Welcome the Blodrhun into yourself instead of fighting it."

Sakura dared not argue with Kashinu. She forced herself to relax, firmly holding the weapon as she closed her eyes and pictured the mental walls around her mind opening up. The strange sentience of the Blorhun rushed into her, and as she had feared, Sakura felt the Blodrhun taking over her.

"Now pull away." Kashinu told her.

After a ten second delay just so her mind could process the words, Sakura managed to close the door between her and the Blodrhun. Her body was hers again, and her fingers snapped open to release the Blodrhun. The relief was immediate, and Sakura's weak body collapsed to the ground in utter exhaustion. Head pillowed by the grass, Sakura glared at the Blodrhun.

"Very good." Kashinu said from above, looking down at Sakura with uncaring eyes. "We'll continue this tomorrow."

Her trainer walked away without a backwards glance. Sakura's vision blurred and she found herself blinking away the tears. Raising a hand to her face, she found her cheeks soaked in tears, some tear tracks already caked on her face. Glancing at the sky, she realized her entire session in learning to control the Blodrhun had lasted all day. She stood up shakily, biting her lip as she reluctantly picked up her Blodrhun and sheathing it as quickly as she could, snatching her hand away from the handle as soon as possible. Then she stumbled back to her cell.

_{*~*~*}_

They had spent a week on merely learning to hold the Blodrhun. Seven long, torturous days. Each day it seemed the Blodrhun was just as painful as the first time she had held it. But there was a change: The song that the Blodrhun sang was sweeter.

As each day passed, the sweet melody that her Blodrhun sang became more and more alluring. It drew Sakura towards it, so that her fingers twitched and her eyes took on a feverish light. She knew it would harm her, and yet it was as if she was becoming addicted. Sakura found herself looking forward to the painful sessions, her hands ached to hold the Blodrhun. Her dreams were filled with its song, accompanied by the screams of its victims, and worst of all she started dreaming of killing with it, watching bright droplets of red rain on to the battlefield.

Thoughts of Konoha, thoughts of her friends, thoughts of what was right and what was wrong- they rarely entered her mind anymore. She lived each day without much thought of returning, unconsciously focusing more and more on her Blodrhun. She wanted to hold the weapon, to feel its power running through her veins.

She was determined to master it.

As the second week of Blodrhun control came, Sakrua found a curious sight when she arrived at the training yard.

"What is this?" she asked Kashinu.

Her trainer smiled at the small cage set on top of one of the tables. Through the clear panes of the container Sakura could see a large tarantula, nearly six to seven inches wide, twice as large as the palm of her hand. Its long legs moved with morbid grace, eight eyes blinking, and large fangs snapping.

Kashinu's face lit up with a cold smile. Sakura shivered. "Torture it."

Sakura glanced at the spider. "With the Blodrhun?"

Kashinu's ruthless eyes landed on her student. "Yes."

More due to curiosity than eagerness, Sakura did not hesitate to draw her Blodrhun, her arm shuddering as the pain of the weapon instantly laced through her arm and up her body. Rather than ignore it, Sakura channeled the pain back into the Blodrhun, focusing on her target. The blunt tip of the Blodrhun entered the container. When the baton-like weapon touched the arachnid, the tarantula gave an audible hiss, and leaped to the other side of its cage.

"You'll have to be quicker and more forceful than that." Kashinu said, almost scolding.

Sakura nodded, her eyes taking on the calculating look that she had when solving a medical case- it was a puzzle. This time, her Blodrhun landed on the tarantula in a flash, pinning the creature down. Its eight legs began to thrash to no avail, its fangs clacking loudly in pain, an odd noise erupting from the creature. Sakura's eyes dashed back and forth, catching every reaction and symptom, recording the response and stimuli.

The pain in her arm lessened just slightly, only noticeable due to the sheer amount of pain that she had been feeling in the first place. The Blodrhun sucked the tarantula's pain up greedily. Sakura glanced curiously at her weapon, making observations. Her attention was drawn back to the spider when a sudden jolt of coolness raced up her arm, interrupting the hot searing pain of the Blodrhun. The tarantula had died.

Sakura removed her weapon from the container, evaluating what had just happened. She sheathed her Blodrhun, turning to find the nearly-black green eyes of Kashinu studying her. A glacier grin appeared on the woman's face.

"A fine job, Sakura." She purred. Kashinu turned and motioned with her hand for Sakura to follow her.

They walked to another part of the yard, further away from the buildings, where Sakura noticed a thin cat chained to the concrete wall. It hissed at Kashinu as they approached, Sakura hidden behind the taller Haruno. White fur speckled with black and brown bristled, dulled talons unsheathed, it had an ear missing, and one of its eyes was swollen. All in all, it was a pitiful, ugly thing.

Kashinu pointed at the cat. "Use your Bloodrhun on that."

Sakura's hand hovered over the handle of her Blodrhun. The cat now noticed the pinkette, hissing at the arrival of another human. It really was quite a pathetic creature.

_A bug is one thing…_ Sakura thought to herself. _But a cat?_

"Haruno Sakura." Kashinu glared at the pinkette. "Stop wasting time."

Sakura nodded and walked slowly towards the cat, unsheathing her Blodrhun, the familiar searing pain rushing into her body. This was wrong. She shouldn't be doing this. This… this was cruelty. Torture.

The song of the Blodrhun filled her mind, singing its sweet melody, its presence enveloping her chest in warmth, urging her to listen. Urging her to prove herself, prove her strength and worthiness. Now was not the time for weakness, it told her. Sakura gasped as a different pain ran up her arm from her Blodrhun, like when something is so pleasurable that it borders on pain. Her mind clouded, and soon her green eyes were glazed over, glowing faintly green.

The cat spat as the human girl before it suddenly lashed her leg out. Roughly the Haruno's foot pinned the feline to the ground, the Blodrhun connecting with the cat's body in the blink of an eye. Yowls began filling the air, the cat's dark yellow eyes seeming to bulge out of its skull, and liquid tinged with blood began seeping out of its eyes and nose and mouth. Still the wielder of the Blodrhun did not pull away, pressing the Blodrhun into the cat's side. The weapon pulsed with joy as it fed off of the feline's pain, black veins growing thicker and starting to glow darkly.

Again a sudden jolt of coolness shot through the Blodrhun, and Sakura pulled her weapon away to stare down at the limp cat. The surface of the Blodrhun began to settle as the black veins calmed down, and the melody in Sakura's head soften to a low hum.

A wave of dizziness hit the Haruno, and Sakura went to one knee, panting.

"You will be tired after such an endeavor." Kashinu stated as she approached, kicking away the cat's carcass without a glance. "Two sessions in a row is a great feat for a beginner."

Sakura's trainer stood up and patted the pinkette on the shoulder in a rare sign of approval.

"Go rest in your cell, Sakura. Lessons are over for the day." Kashinu threw over her shoulder as she walked back to the buildings of the Haruno training compound. "One more session and we'll begin teaching you how to morph your Blodrhun."

Kashinu unsheathed her Blodrhun, and Sakura watched in amazement as the polished, red baton stretched until it had become a staff with two blades at the end. Then it morphed again into a long sword. Kashinu sheathed her weapon and continued away from Sakura.

Sakura couldn't help but feel excitement and curiosity at the thought of finally morphing her Blodrhun. She had seen the more experienced Harunos practicing with their Blodrhuns. The weapons could shape shift into any weapon their master wished, although every Haruno had their own weapon preferences. She couldn't wait to learn it!

Shakily, Sakura stood and made her way back to her room –cell- and turned on the shower. As the water heated up Sakura peeled away the sweaty clothes and threw them into the dirty clothes pile, where one of the servants would pick it up. Her mind shied away from thinking about the tarantula or the cat, knowing it was wrong.

As she climbed into bed, Sakura felt the horror overwhelm her. She had _tortured_. She had _killed_…

_And she had enjoyed it_.

_{*~*~*}_

"One last thing before we start teaching you how to morph your Blodrhun." Kashinu said as she led Sakura down into the dungeons.

The young Haruno suppressed the nausea at the memories the dungeons brought, the putrid familiar smell of decay and misery making the bile rise in her throat. Outwardly, she kept her face blank, walking without hesitation back into the depths of her personal hell. She knew Kashinu would be looking for any sign of weakness.

Just because Sakura was progressing well in the training did not mean that the trainer's love of dealing punishments had abated. No one was safe from Kashinu's Blodrhun unless they were Etsuyo herself.

"In here."

Sakura followed Kashinu into one of the torture rooms- which she recognized with a sickening feeling building in her gut. It was dark in the room, but her glowing green eyes saw well in the dark. Looking around the room, she glanced at the faint blood-spatters on the walls, the tinged tiles, and rusted drains. The scent of blood, intestines, and feces permeated the air, a table with various metal objects sat to her left. Kashinu handed her a mask, the same kind that the men had worn when they had interrogated Sakura.

She swallowed thickly and placed it on her face.

The light in the room went on, and Sakura blinked a few times to get her eyes to adjust. Her gaze swept over the man slouching in a metal chair in the middle of the room, bound hand and foot in large chains, chakra suppressers on his arms, legs, and neck. He lifted his head, greasy brown hair falling into one eye, scowling at his interrogators. His clothes were naught but rags, his face thin, nose sharp, and eyes leering at the female bodies of Kashinu and Sakura, even though they wore masks.

"Women eh?" he sneered. "Mighty brave of you broads."

Sakura nearly hissed at his insulting words. His voice was like oil, slick and slimy (a lot like his hair too).

"You are charged with two accounts of rape and murder, Nikoye Aburaka." Kashinu's chilling voice seemed to freeze the very air in the room. "You committed these crimes in Haruno territory, and as such, you will be punished as the Harunos deem fit."

The man, Nikoye, laughed madly, grinning nastily. "Only two accounts of rape and murder?" he licked his lips lecherously. "Guess they didn't find the other girls then. Ha! Their bodies will forever lie in unmarked graves, the whores. Fine women they were; they should have just let me fuck them to death."

Fury engulfed her. How dare he? Such a monstrous man did not deserve to live! He should have his dick cut off, shoved down his throat, burned away- Sakura almost clenched her fists in order to release some of her building anger, but realized it would be a mistake, giving away her feelings. She forced herself to relax, though her left hand settled on the hilt of her Blodrun, her finger tapping it slightly as she imagined how to punish this man.

Kashinu walked around the man, stopping when she was standing behind him. "How many?"

Nikoye grinned proudly. "Nine. Nine girls. Two older women, four teenagers, three girls. I don't really give a damn about who I fuck as long as it has a vagina." His head could not turn to face Kashinu, so they settled on Sakura, sneering. "You two would be nice additions to my collection."

Kashinu's masked face looked into Sakura's. From where Nikoye could not see her, Kashinu motion for Sakura to approach the man. Then she began walking to the front of the room again.

"Now show me what you have learned." Kashinu whispered to Sakura when she passed her student.

Sakura tightened her grip on her Blodrhun, unsheathing it as she drew closer to the prisoner.

"Oooh am I about to get a lap dance, you little slut?" Nikoye laughed, but his laugh abruptly choked when the Blodrhun made contact with his cheek. Without a moment's pause, he screamed.

Behind her mask, Sakura grinned. "You like torturing women?" she whispered. Her voice was unrecognizable to her own ears. The Blodrhun had melded with her voice, so that when she opened her mouth the faint dark whispers flowed into her voice. She sounded like a demon.

Nikoye whimpered, trying to pull away from her Blodrhun, but Sakura kept it pressed to his cheek. And she wasn't even pressing hard yet.

"How old were those three girls you raped and killed?" she hissed.

Nikoye gritted his teeth. "Damned if I cared!"

**Smack.**

The blow from the Blodrhun crackled as it greedily sucked in Nikoye's pain, prolonging it and increasing it. The men let out a yell in pain. As soon as Sakura's weapon cleared his face, it was pressed against his throat. Immediately the black veins on the Blodrhun began to writhe, snapping back and forth on the polished surface, and the veins in Nikoye's neck began to bulge, swelling red then fading to a dark black.

"Get comfortable, Nikoye-san." Sakura sneered. "You have a long punishment ahead of you."

_{*~*~*}_

Three hours later, Nikoye leaned halfway out of the chair, body limp. The restraints on him were the only things keeping him in the piece of furniture. Sakura was letting him recover once again before they began another session of torture.

"Very good job, Sakrua." Kashinu said from her seat, where she had calmly watched every second of the torture. "But I am afraid we still have business to attend to. Put that… thing… out of his misery."

Sakura wanted to protest, to say that this man didn't deserve to die, but Kashinu was right. Besides, she had already followed through with her original plan. Sakura glanced at the furiously bleeding spot between Nikoye's pants.

Nodding in obedience, Sakura heeded Kashinu's words and stormed up to Nikoye, who barely had the strength to flinch.

"Burn in hell." She whispered. The man whimpered, choking on the thing she had shoved down his throat earlier. Sakura ignored him and effortlessly snapped his neck.

**Crack.**

She turned to Kashinu. The strawberry blonde woman stood and remove dher mask. Sakura was surprised to see the woman grinning. Kashinu never smiled!

"Congratulations, Sakura." She said with pride. "You are ready for the Second Lesson."

In her hand (Sakura had forgotten about the pain as she held it), her Blodrhun hummed happily, filling her head with its haunting melody, the cries of agony and despair grounding her from losing her temper. Strangely, the song was soothing.

Her trainer was happy. Her weapon was happy. But… why did she feel so empty?

A memory from long ago flashed before her mind, the image of a grinning blonde with sun-kissed skin and bright blue eyes assaulted her memory.

Sakura quickly erased the memory.

* * *

><p><strong>so yeah, couldn't fit everything I wanted into here. This chapter actually isn't as dark as I wanted it to be (but I'm saving some things for later dun-dun-dun). Don't worry, we will get back to Konoha (but not after another couple chapters!)<strong>

**This is one of my favorite stories to write. So please review!**

**WAIT! Please go to my Bio page and check out the STORY IDEAS section. Send me a PM about any of them that interest you, I'd really like some ideas on it! (especially the one about Sakura as a Mist nin)**

**~Lilithia**


	6. Chapter 5: Fallen

**Have I ever told you guys that I love this story? I LOVE THIS STORY. Oh, and I don't own Naruto. Or the song lyrics. Yeah.**

**I'm hoping to begin the next chapter soon, It was hard to stop on just this chapter. I hope it's long enough for your tastes. :)**

* * *

><p><em><span>Chapter Five: Fallen<span>_

_A mind is so easily twisted._

_A heart so easily captured._

_Broken apart._

_And put back together in someone else's image._

_Do you see me anymore?_

_Are these my thoughts?_

_Is this my heart?_

_Or have I been broken?_

_To become a twisted shadow of myself?_

_{*~*~*}_

_We all begin with good intent._

_When love was raw and young._

_We believe that we can change ourselves;_

_The past can be undone._

_But we carry on our backs the burden time always reveals_

_In the lonely light of morning_

_In the wound that would not heal_

_{*~*~*}_

"Your training seems to be coming along well."

Sakura looked up at Etsuyo. "Hai, Obaa-sama." She bowed her head.

At the head of the table, the matriarch studied her descendent with cold eyes. Sakura attempted not to make eye contact, and continued eating her dinner. She kept her face carefully blank, unwilling to let Etsuyo find a weakness in her, for the woman would no doubt attack her there, whether verbally of physically. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw, the matriarch leaned back in her chair and continued eating as well.

The rest of the dinner was spent in silence, in which Sakura dared not look up from her position at the other end of the table, across from Etsuyo. The silence was only broken by the clink of chopsticks against hand-crafted china plates. Sakura studied the plates, noting the extraordinary attention to detail, with pictures depicting Japanese farmers in the rice fields, or vines and fruit intertwined, or mythical creatures flying and dancing across the faces of the plates. It was almost a shame to place food over top of the art.

"Sakura."

Said girl jerked her head up. "Hai, Obaa-sama?" Sakura asked in a carefully detached voice.

"Stop slouching, girl." Etsuyo wrinkled her nose in distaste. "It is unbecoming."

Sakura bowed her head and murmured her apologies before straightening her back. At her side, her Blodrhun rested in its sheath, a disturbingly comforting presence when facing her ancestor. The weapon sent a warm feeling into her consciousness, relaxing Sakura somewhat.

"Are you finished eating dinner, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes, Etsuyo-sama." Sakura murmured with a calmness she did not feel.

At the head of the table, the Haruno matriarch stood; her movements silent other than the ornaments in her hair pins tinkling and the faintest rustle of fabric. She looked beautiful, despite her age. Her pale pink hair, nearly silver in the light, pulled into an elaborate twist, her sharp green eyes mirroring Sakura's, and her body clothes in layers of silk in a beautiful dark blue kimono with lotus flowers scattered over the fabric, a dark pink obi wrapped around the middle.

Sakura stood and bowed as Etsuyo left as a sign of respect (because if she didn't she would be tortured). Inwardly, Sakura marveled at how she was able to imitate Etsuyo's movements, her own kimono, deep red with elegant swirls in silver and gold twining across the folds with a gold obi, nearly silent as she stood. Etsuyo watched Sakura's movements with approval.

"It was good to see you, Sakura-chan." Etsuyo said with forced sweetness. "I hope you will join you lovely Obaa-chan next week."

"Of course, Obaa-sama." Sakura bowed.

Her ancestor frowned, and with speed that someone her age shouldn't be capable of, Etsuyo appeared in front of Sakura, just barely shorter than the young Haruno. Sakura forced herself not to flinch and keep her body relaxed. Etsuyo's long-fingered hand reached out to touch Sakura's hair, the lengths growing past Sakura's shoulders now.

"Your hair has grown, my child." Etsuyo told her. "You should think about finding a new hairstyle. I would suggest cutting it again, but if you would prefer longer hair, then you will need to put your hair up."

Sakura blinked. Had Etsuyo just given her a choice? Oh dear, the world was coming to an end. But maybe it was a test. In that case…

Sakura bowed. "Whatever you suggest, Obaa-sama."

Etsuyo released Sakura's hair with one corner of her mouth turned up in what might have been an amused smile. "I think you would look quite lovely with your hair longer. Pink hair is such a rarity after all." At this, Etsuyo fingered her own pale pink strands.

_She wanted to make sure I deferred to her first._ Sakura inwardly sighed at the constant tests her ancestor insisted on every time they met. She wanted so badly to roll her eyes.

"You should go get some rest, Sakura-chan." Etsuyo smiled (her fake, fake smile) and swept out of the room.

Left alone, Sakura turned and exited the dining hall, walking towards her cell in the barracks. She ignored the lavishly furnished rooms in the main mansion where Etsuyo and other high-ranked Haruno members lived. Most of these rooms were uninhabited anyway, since it went against the Spartan customs of their shinobi roots. The mansion was mainly just for show, even though they rarely, if ever, had visitors.

Now that Sakura thought about it, she had yet to actually meet any high-ranked Harunos other than Etsuyo and Kashinu. She was kept mostly separated from the rest of the clan, at least until her emotions were fully locked away. She had glimpsed Arashi a couple times since her first day in the Haruno compound, but her only true companion was her roommate and cousin, Mika.

Mika was a quiet and serious girl, who showed less emotion than Sakura, though it was to be expected since Mika was raised among the Haruno clan. Somehow the two had managed to become close though, a bond that was characterized by silent nights dressing each other's wounds (since Blodrhun wounds were immune to chakra healing) and picking each other up if they collapsed during practice.

As if hearing her thoughts, Mika met Sakura at the door of their shared cell. The barracks where the Harunos-in-training slept was in a smaller, inconspicuous building slightly hidden in the forests surrounding the Haruno lands. Its walls were blank cement, it had few windows, and no luxuries other than a single bathroom for each room. The training grounds were wide open fields that separated the main mansion and the barracks. Sakura could sense several other chakra signatures in the barracks, all of them sleeping except for Mika. She had yet to actually meet any of the other Haruno students as well, only glimpses.

"Take a shower and get to bed." Mika murmured, never once raising her voice since Sakura had first met the redhead. "Kashinu warned me that we would be evaluated tomorrow before beginning the Second Lesson."

"Evaluated?" Sakura raised her eyebrows. That was not good.

The thought seemed to echo in Mika's mind as well, and the girls shared mildly nervous looks before Sakura walked past her roommate and headed to the bathroom, stripping off her clothes as she went. Time was of essence, every minute wasted was a minute that could have been spent sleeping, and they would need rest for whatever Kashinu planned the next morning. Mika grabbed the kimono before it hit the ground, and in wordless teamwork, she began to hang up the outfit as Sakura jumped into the shower.

After her shower, Sakura sat on her bed while drying her hair with her towel as Mika climbed into her bed. "Do you know what this evaluation entails?" Sakura asked her cousin softly.

Mika shook her head.

"What happened to those who took it before?"

At the way Mika's face paled, Sakura bit her lip and nervously gripped her towel harder in her lap.

"They…" Mika cleared her throat softly as she whispered, "Before one is allowed to commence the Second Lesson, the trainers must be one-hundred percent sure that your emotions are gone. The last group of trainees that underwent the evaluation disappeared for nearly a whole year."

Sakura choked. "A year? Doing what?" she whispered astonished.

Mika twirled a red strand in her fingers as she thought. "I don't know. They aren't allowed to talk about it. But I know that when you come back, all emotion is erased."

"Weren't we supposed to learn all this before we even touched our Blodrhun?" Sakura asked Mika.

The redhead shook her head. "They know we haven't truly locked our emotions away yet. It is, after all, only the _First_ Lesson."

With that Mika pulled her sheets over her shoulders and turned her head to fall asleep. Tossing her towel across the room to land in the hamper with other dirty clothes, Sakura tugged on her ratty T-shirt before doing the same. She tossed and turned all night, dreaming of darkness and the squeaking of rats.

_{*~*~*}_

There was a hand on her mouth.

Sakura's eyes flew open in anger. She felt someone dragging her out of her bed, and suddenly she was thrown on the concrete floor of her room. Opening her mouth to yell at the culprit, the hand was replaced on her mouth, and her head was yanked back by her unbound hair. Suddenly her arms were yanked back, hard, and Sakura barely stopped herself from whimpering as her shoulder blades popped.

She kicked out and managed to kick someone in the shin, and a satisfying _crack! _told her that she had broken one of her attacker's legs, and she smirked into the hand on her mouth as she heard a body crumple to the floor in the darkness. Two more pairs of hands landed on her body, and she felt chakra-suppressing ropes being wrapped around her wrists and legs in a circulation-cutting grip. Sakura nearly screamed in indignation.

Beside her, she could hear the same thing happening to Mika. Sakura's roommate seemed to be putting up a fight as well, and she attempted to bite the hand on her mouth to call out to Mika. The hand was snatched away, but before Sakura could voice her cry to Mika, she felt cloth stuck into her mouth, nearly down her throat, and she choked on whatever she was going to say.

"Sak-!" Mika's voice was cut off by a harsh smack that echoed in the room; someone had probably knocked her out.

Just as Sakura was about to attempt attacking her kidnappers, lashing out blindly in the darkness, she felt a hand grasping at the nape of her neck. _Oh hell no!_ She thought, jerking away and trying to slam her elbows backwards, but only brushing the person behind her. Just then a heavy weighted hand pushed on her sternum, slamming her backwards into the floor, making her shoulder muscles scream from where her arms were bound behind her back. Before Sakura could retaliate, the hand was around her neck, and the pressure point on her neck was hit.

Darkness closed in.

_{*~*~*}_

She was sure she opened her eyes. Sakura felt herself blink a couple times just to be sure. But the darkness never went away.

The darkness.

Without her sight, her hearing was enhanced, and Sakura heard the scuttle of tiny clawed feet just behind her.

_No._

There was a squeak. She tried to call forth chakra, but felt nothing. Her hands went to her wrist and ankles, and felt chakra-suppressing manacles.

_No no no no no no no no no no!_

She pulled at her chains, and felt her what little chakra she had replenished while unconscious drain away with the movement. The scuttling sounds disappeared, but Sakura was already panicking.

_Not this place again, no please, kami, NOT THIS PLACE AGAIN!_

In her chest her heart was beating impossibly fast, the blood pumping in her ears, and though she couldn't see, the walls felt too close-

But also far away, where did they begin?-

The walls were too close, closing in, pressing around her-

But they felt so far away, unprotecting, her back open to attack-

_Can't breathe, can't breathe-_

Sakura curled herself into a ball and buried her face into her knees, ignoring the stale, musty odor of wherever she was, ignoring the cold ground, the pieces of dirt that scraped her cheek, or the suspiciously slick substance that smeared on her arm as she shifted on the concrete floor. Her chest was heaving as she hyperventilated, and she bit her lips until she tasted blood-

_Blood. Reality. Blood._

She shivered as she hear tiny feet scatter across the room.

_Rats? Dear kami no!_

Sakura's body shuddered in a dry sob and she bit into her lip harder.

_The darkness- the darkness screams-_

The darkness screamed around her.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

The door opened, and the light burned. Hissing, she screwed her eyes shut and hid her face in her knees from where she was curled up on the floor.

_Tak._

The door shut.

Sakura's nose twitched, and she crawled over to where a bowl of soup was placed on the floor. Her stomach rumbled, as if suddenly remembering what food was for. Her hands trembled as she held the bowl to her face, splashing it slightly onto her front, but she drank desperately, lapping at the lumps of what she assumed were some form of protein pills. The soup was tasteless, really, dry and reminding her of dust. Its sole purpose was to keep her alive, not satisfy her.

Sakura set the bowl back on the ground, and for the first time since she had woken up in the room, she began to move around. Hands outstretched, she walked with unsteady steps, limping because of the twinge in her right knee, though she did not remember getting injured there.

_Where are the walls?_

Her thoughts were panicked.

_Where are the walls?_

Too close and too far away- too close and too far away- too close and too far away-

When her hands finally hit solid surface, Sakura began to follow the wall, time seeming to stretch forever until she stubbed her toes on another wall. Unsteadily, she managed to lower herself to the floor, and curled up in the corner, the walls providing a meager sense of protection.

Somewhere in the room, she heard the sniffling of a rat.

In an instant she felt movement, and the rodent nipped her leg. Sakura kicked it away and began to scream.

…

…

…

…

…

…

She didn't know how long she spent screaming. After a while, she became exhausted and fell into a fitful sleep.

When Sakura woke up again, she could smell the nearly odorless scent of soup again. Her eyes had surprisingly adjusted to the darkness, and she managed to make her way across the cold floor until her fingers brushed cold porcelain.

Her movements stilled when she looked into the soup bowl. The liquid rippled, and the two green orbs as well. Sakura blinked, and the reflection in the bowl did as well. One of her hands came up to her eyes, hovering warily in front of her eyes. In the bowl, the dim reflection of her fingers in front of two glowing green eyes stared back at her.

Her eyes. Were. _Glowing_.

Not very brightly, quite dimly in fact. But they were glowing green! Sakura put the bowl back on the ground and stared into the darkness of her prison. After the shock wore off, she went back to her cold soup, ignoring the eerie reflection of two green eyes staring back at her. She tilted the soup into her mouth and sipped.

*Cough! Hack! Cough!*

Sakura spat out the foul liquid, the bitter taste overwhelming her senses, wanting to rip her tongue out. It was so bitter and vile! Her taste buds were practically turning to ash! Sakura glanced back at the bowl, the only indication of its location in the darkness was the reflections of her eyes. But she had no choice, this was her only sustenance. With a grimace, Sakura began to sip the soup, valiantly pushing away the overpowering urge to spit out everything and puke up what she had already comsumed.

She then spent the next couple minute attempting to find her way back to her corner, curled up, and continued to stare into the darkness.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

It continued this way for longer than she could count. Unlike he first time she had been locked in the dungeon cells, this time there was no crack in the farthest right hand corner where a miniscule amount of light could reach her. It was just unseeing darkness.

No light. No day. No night. No light.

…

…

…

The times between when the soup would show up was never the same. Sometimes it seems like mere minutes would pass before the soup showed up, other times it could have been days. Sometimes, if she was lucky, Sakura would find actual sustenance: a couple slices of meat and one slice of cheese between two slices of bread. This normally meager meal was a worldly luxury in her darkness, although sometimes Sakura would have to fight off the rats for it.

The soup was always bitter. So, so very bitter. She had vomited the soup up several times after attempting to eat it, but it didn't seem to bother her care-takers. They still served her the soup, more often than a meager sandwich, to her dismay. But she either ate the soup or starved. She would just have to deal with the occasional puking fit.

…

…

…

_{*~*~*}_

One day, the door opened when Sakura was awake, a circumstance that hadn't happened since the first time a bowl of soup had appeared in her room. Sakura nearly screamed when the light entered the room, and curled up to hide her eyes.

After a couple silent moments, Sakura's eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and she carefully lifted her head.

The shadow in the doorway jerked their head to follow, then turned and walked away. She stumbled to her feet, and began to walk out of her prison, not looking back at the room. Eventually her stumbling gait evened out as she remembered how to walk correctly, and Sakura's feet once again became silent as she followed the man in front of her.

He wore do distinctive colors, only a black shinobi outfit and full-head mask. Sakura only knew the person leading her was male from the way he walked and his size. The hallways were dim, lit every now and then by a flickering torch.

The hallway ended with one lone, gray door, which the man in front of her opened to reveal a blinding white room. He stood to the side of the doorway, obviously waiting for her to enter. So enter Sakura did.

She was not surprised when the door shut behind her. Actually, Sakura felt nothing. She gazed around the room with a detached look, the stark white walls, floor, and ceiling a shock to her senses after the darkness of her dungeon cell. Three other doors, white and without handles, opened from the outside, and in struggle three ragged-looking people, two men and one woman. The woman had limp brown hair down to her waist, pulled into a low ponytail, and droopy brown eyes, her skin ashen. One of the men had dark green hair and blue eyes, stocky in build, but still thin for his height. The other man had black hair, shaved close to his head and dark, shadowed eyes, lean but muscular with a kanji for strength tattooed onto his left arm, but the way he held his body gave away his weariness.

Each person looked exhausted; all of them looked worse that Sakura felt. There was a clicking noise, and all attention was drawn to a white table in the center of the room. The table's surface opened up, and an apple was lifted onto the table's surface from within. All four inhabitants of the room stared at the apple. Sakura's stomach growled, seemingly at the same time as everyone else in the room, and she suddenly remembered that it had been quite a long time since she was last fed. This seemed to be the case for the other people in the room as well, and they all eyed each other warily, tense.

At some invisible signal, they all raced toward the table, and the apple, at the same time. The brown haired woman and the tattooed man reached the table first, and began fighting each other for the apple, the woman scratching and spitting, and the tattooed man punching her in the jaw. The green-haired man came up behind the other guy and put him in a chokehold. The brown-haired woman stumbled up from where she landed after being punched in the jaw, and reached for the apple while the other men struggled.

A strange feeling overtook Sakura then, like liquid gold rushing through her veins, guiding her arm as she reached for the brown ponytail and yanked hard. The woman gave an outraged and cry, and whipped around to glare at Sakura just as her hand came up to grip the woman's throat, pressing the pressure point where the neck met the shoulder. The woman crumpled to the floor, just as Sakura felt a large hand land on her arm, throwing her harshly to the ground.

The green haired man stood over her, reaching down for the apple in Sakura's hand. Her foot slammed into his face with unprecedented speed, sending him flying into a wall, sliding to the floor in a daze. Sakura leaped to her feet, ducking just in time as the tattooed man sent a punch her way. They struggled for a while, rolling on the floor and punching and kicking and biting. Eventually Sakura managed to pin the man down long enough to head-butt him. His muscles relaxed long enough for her to hit the pressure point on his neck.

She stood and looked around for the apple that had been lost during the scuffle. Her eyes landed on the deep red that was nearly offending in the pure white room, and Sakura retrieved the apple, biting into it with much gusto. The juice dribbled down her chin satisfyingly, the strongest tasting sustenance she had had in recent memory, nearly overloading her deprived senses.

Her teeth scraped something rather odd inside the apple, and Sakura pulled away, glancing into the apple where she had bit down. Something glinted at her. Her dirty fingers began to pry the rusty, dirty gold object from within the apple's flesh, and she was surprised to find it to be a key.

Sakura glanced up and looked around the room, until her eyes landed on a door that she was sure had not been there before. Frowning, she began to walk towards the door, noting that unlike the other doors from which her opponents and herself had entered, this one had a handle, and a keyhole just above it. Glancing at the key in her hand, Sakura inserted the key and turned.

The lock clicked, and she hastily pulled on the handle, swinging the door open only to find… Another white room. Sakura finished her apple as she stepped into the room, the door nearly slamming shut on her butt with surprising force.

Sakura whirled around, eyes narrowing at the offending door, her senses on edge for some odd reason.

The sound of more doors opening alerted her to more worn, desperate looking persons entering the white room. This time Sakura noted there were five others, instead of the previous three. And on a table in the middle of the room, there was a key.

The apple core landed on the floor with a thud in the silent room as all eyes locked on the key. In a flash, everyone was fighting over the key.

Punch. Kick. Breathe. Punch. Twist. Kick. Kick again. Duck.

These were the only things going through Sakura's head as she dodged and attacked the other prisoners (Were they prisoners? She didn't know anymore). On instinct, she grabbed the hand on her shoulder and flipped the attached person, only to let go and dodge as another body came hurtling at her. Someone caught her fist, and Sakura grabbed his arm and slammed her other forearm with brutal force into the elbow attached to the enemy arm.

She whirled around, waiting for the next attack, but was surprised to find none. Heaving, Sakura glanced around, at the bodies scattered around her, two who were definitely dead, and several broken bones. There was blood on the ragged T-shirt that was all she had left of her clothing, and Sakura felt new bruises blooming on her torso.

Her hand snatched the key on top of the table, and found the next doorway.

This time there were twenty people, all after the key on the table in the middle of the room. Sakura's mind was blank, focusing on staying in one piece, fighting the people around her, punching, kicking, twisting and dodging. She was nearly blind-sided a couple times, and felt a large welt growing on her cheek where some man had whipped her with his belt.

A haze had settled over her mind. Kick. Dodge. Punch. Duck. Twist. Punch. All she could do was flow with the battle, moving with her instincts. When someone grabbed her hair, she twisted in their grip, grabbed their wrist, and snapped it. She then picked up the attacker and threw them at another oncoming enemy, in the same move twisting to avoid a knife-hand to the spine and grabbing something that felt suspiciously like someone's neck, but at this point she didn't care and snapped it anyway.

Ignoring the bodies, a couple still strong enough to groan in pain, Sakura stumbled over to the table and picked up the next key.

When she unlocked the next door, she barely registered that she was no longer in a white room, but in what seemed to be a weapon's room. Someone approached her, and Sakura swung out to kill them, but was stopped. Her body was frozen, and she realized angrily it was some kind of paralysis jutsu.

There were people around her, swathed in black outfits that obscured their faces and any identifying features. Her T-shirt was cut off her body, and she felt stretchy material eased over her arms and torso and up her legs, and armor was locked in place around her arms, legs, and torso. The paralysis jutsu was released, and Sakura waited unsure of whether to attack or not. In her moment of indecision, the door in front of her revealed another white room, and something was offered to her in her peripheral vision.

Head snapping to the side, her eyes instantly landed on her Blodrhun, sheathed and lying on a cushion, offered up to her like a sacrifice. It called to her.

A chilling, unfeeling smile lit her face, and Sakura reached for her weapon without a thought, strapping the sheath to her side and walking into the next room while grabbing the handle and pulling out her weapon as the door slammed behind her.

This time Sakura was unable to count how many people entered the room, people of varying ages, heights, sizes, and strengths. She didn't care. It was clear what she was here to do. With her deadly smirk still plastered onto her face, Sakura leaped into the fray.

Time slowed down, until all that mattered was the next punch, the next attack, the next move. An arm appeared in her vision; she broke it before it could grab her. A leg kicked at her and she slammed her Blodrhun into it, and the sound of screaming would alight her ears, but even better, her Blodrhun sang with pleasure. Someone hit her, only for their fist to glance off her armor. Sakura flash-stepped behind the person and yanked their head back by their head, placing the edge of her Blodrhun on their neck and watching them succumb to the floor, convulsing. Her mind did not register these things though, for by this time she was already fighting off three more enemies.

She heaved a breath and let it out slowly, the air making her chest shudder as it left her passages. Sakura glanced around her, tensed, waiting for one of the bodies to jump up at her. No one moved, and now she relaxed her stance and glanced around. The white floor was splattered with red, and she found it gruesomely artistic. This led her eyes to the body, and before she could stop herself, her eyes landed on a woman, eyes open and glazed over, her neck twisted at an odd angle. Sakura turned away, but then her eyes stopped on something worse.

With stiff movements, Sakura stumbled over to the small body she had not noticed in her red-hazed fighting spree. Her stomach heaved, and Sakura forced herself to swallow the bile rising in her throat as she stared at the boy's blue eyes- _blue like the sky on a sunshine day, laughing and wearing obscene orange_- and dead, his veins rising against his skin, blackened, a tell-tale sign that it was _her_ Blodrhun that had done the deed.

She turned away sharply as swallowed, ignoring the emotions that threatened to turn into coherent thoughts, keeping her mind painfully blank- _he is too young, his hair is brown, not blonde_- and sheathed her humming Blodrhun, her hand still burning and stinging where she had held it in a white-knuckled grip. Approaching the table, she grabbed the key absent-mindedly, her gaze distant as she went over the battle she had just fought, trying to remember if she had even noticed the boy among the crowd she had fought.

Her hand was trembling when she tried to place the key in the hole, missing a couple times, but blaming her lack of finesse on her weakened body instead of the emotions that raged inside the cage of her mind. The door swung open, and she stepped into another weapon's room, this time she did not lash out at the masked people surrounding her.

They sat her down and gave her a couple soldier pills, bread, and water, which she ate on autopilot. The manacles on her wrists and ankles were unlocked, and she felt her chakra immediately begin to flood her body, automatically healing her bruises and a few broken ribs that she hadn't noticed before. Her mind was still reeling from those blue eyes- _but not cerulean, not bright enough, his hair was brown_- but now she didn't even have to attempt to keep her face blank. Her thoughts and body seemed to detached that it took no thought to keep her face detached and her breathing calm.

"There will be a missing-nin in the next room." Someone was telling her in an emotionless voice. "You must defeat them to go on to the Second Lesson."

Sakura nodded without a word and took one more long gulp of water before she approached the door. It swung open and she entered without a moment's hesitation. She took a second to study the man before her, with bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face, and a light brown ponytail falling over his left should to his collarbone. He had been waiting for her in a chair, leaning his chin on his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees, a large sword strapped to his back.

Inside the room, the large man stood up from his chair, revealing a tight black sleeveless shirt and light brown, loose shinobi pants, with green fingerless gloves on his hands. Orange eyes glinted underneath a scratched out Grass hitai-ate, and he smirked at her. "When I was hired for this job, I certainly wasn't expecting something like this. Are you supposed to be my opponent? Someone must be getting a kick out of this. For kami's sake, you have pink hair."

From beneath her cool exterior, far down in her mind, her temperament reared back for a moment. In a flash Sakura was in front of the missing nin, glaring at him with steely eyes. "_Don't_ diss the pink hair."

She flipped backwards as the man lashed out with a gigantic sword, the steel whistling through the air. Sakura executed a couple more backflips to put some distance between them as she unsheathed her Blodrhun, a familiar screeching sound filling the air and startling the missing nin.

He laughed at her weapon. "And what the fuck is that supposed to be?"

Sakura kept her face cool as she studied his body. Definitely strength over speed with this one. His chakra levels were adequate, but nowhere near the levels of her teammates.

"Just so you know, kunoichi," the man interrupted her thoughts, making her lock gazes with him. "The name's Kiri. Hyuna Kiri."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Hyuna Kiri smirked. "Just so you know what name to scream."

Before her face could flush, Sakura attacked. They came at each other again and again. Kiri pulled back to execute a jutsu that created a fog that became so thick that Sakura could barely see her hand in front of her face.

"Behind you." She swung and hit nothing. He chuckled.

"Over here~" He sang mockingly. Sakura grit her teeth in annoyance.

Suddenly his dark silhouette was behind her and before she could turn around, he had slapped her butt.

Oh.

Hell.

No.

Sakura glared daggers at her opponent in indignation, swinging around and crashing a charka-enhance fist into the ground.

The room rocked as the floor cracked and caved. Sakura jumped up and stuck to the ceiling, concealing her charka, hoping he wouldn't sense her with the distraction. Her hands moving fast, she yelled, "_Kūki uzu jutsu_!"

She pointed her first to fingers at the center of the crater she had created, and a vortex of air formed, swirling faster and faster, sucking up the fog. She saw Kiri bracing himself against the wind, trying to glimpse her body within the vortex of air, not realizing Sakura was already creeping up behind him. He turned, instinct warning him to dodge Sakura's deadly punch.

"Feisty huh?' he chuckled.

Sakura nearly rolled her eyes at this as he swung at her neck with his large sword. She leaned back, sliding under his range to smack his thigh with her Blodrhun. Kiri's eyes widened and he began to curse at the sudden, indescribable pain in his leg, his leg falling to its knee.

Sakura leaped up and round-house kicked him in the face, sending him sprawling. Without a moment to lose she was on top of him, about to punch his lights out when she was knocked back by a huge wave of water.

"You're gonna regret that, bitch." He snarled.

Sakura shook her head, taking a second to wring her hair out as Hyuna got to his feet. Leaping at Sakura with his sword, she dodged, and the room shuddered at the force of his hit landing on the cracked floor. In a smooth move, he used the leverage to flip over, dodging Sakura's Blodrhun and came at her again. His moves began to flow into each other as his discipline took over, and Sakura realized she would have an awfully hard time trying to get past the sword's range to hit him with her Blodrhun.

In her hand, the weapon hummed in agreement. Sakura momentarily remembered that her weapon was sentient…

_How the hell do you change shape?_ Her thoughts screamed at her weapon. "Come on, change shape, do something." Sakura muttered as she kept dodging Kiri's sword.

One swing came very close to her middle, and though it didn't touch, Sakura's eyes widened as her shirt was torn. She glanced back at Kiri's sword and realized he was using his chakra to enhance the range of his sword's swipe.

Across the room, Hyuna Kiri grinned.

Sakura sighed. Yeah, she was totally killing him now. _Dammit just morph already!_

As Kiri charged at her again (she was getting tired of dodging so much), her Blodrhun began to hum and vibrate. Taking it as a good sign, Sakura charged at Kiri as well, thinking she was either going to die painfully or her plan would work fantastically.

The missing nin's sword swung at her (yet again) and Sakura held up her Blodrhun to block. For a split second, she felt a ripple through her body, and could actually _feel_ her Blodrhun morph. Forming a picture in her head, Sakura suddenly found herself holding a large, double-bladed staff.

Her opponent's eyes widened, and Kiri leaped away to study this unexpected development in the battle. Sakura did not let her surprise show on her face, but inside she was practically jumping up and down with joy. _That could have ended badly…_

She twirled the weapon in her hand, wary of the unexpected shape her Blodrhun had taken. She had never wielded something like this before. Concentrating, the blood-red weapon morphed into a katana, and while Sakura wasn't an expert in fighting with a katana, she had at least been able to fight with one before. The blade was undoubtedly sharp, but the blade was blood red just like the original color of the Blodrhun.

Sakura looked back up to stare at her opponent. He frowned at her and slid into an attack stance. Wordlessly, the two attacked again, exchanging ear-shattering blows as their weapons met. Sakura's eyes widened. _He is using chakra-strength as well!_ Granted, his charka strength wasn't as strong as hers, since Sakura's chakra control was as close to perfection as a shinobi could ever dream. But Kiri'a chakra-strength, coupled with his own natural strength, sure gave Sakura a run for her money.

They separated and Sakura quickly spat out the blood from previous hits to her torso. She needed to treat those injuries soon, knowing she couldn't ignore the pain forever. And she could not afford to let those hinder her in this fight.

Sakura glanced at her weapon. It was time to see what else this Blodrhun could do. There was a cracking sound ahead, and Sakura's gaze snapped up to see her opponent completing hand signals. Holding her Blodrhun up, Kiri finished his hand signals and sent a large, slicing wind jutsu at her. The wind charged at Sakura, and with nothing but faith in her weapon, Sakura sliced downwards into the wind with her sword, and watched in astonishment as the Blodrhun's blade cut a harmless path into the sharp wind.

As her pink hair settled onto her shoulders, Sakura's eyes slid to covertly take in the scene behind her, observing that the wind jutsu had completely decimated everything in its path, except for the path her sword had cut. The white room that the two shinobi had been battling in was crumbling to pieces around them, and parts of the ceiling were falling onto the floor from above, making the ground shudder. Sakura winced as a faint shaft of sunlight pierced made its way through a crack in the ceiling, and made the room seem almost dim in comparison. Even from a distance the sun's ray was nearly blinding to her sensitized eyes.

Both Sakura and Kiri stared at the Blodrhun.

"H-How? How is that possible?" Kiri gasped. "That jutsu should have sliced you to pieces!"

Sakura tightened her grip on her Blodrhun, feeling the familiar pain wash over her. Remembering the wounds she had sustained whenever Kashinu had abused her with her Blodrhun, Sakura realized why her weapon could slice through the wind jutsu. It negated chakra!

_But I can channel my own chakra into it… So does it only respond to its owner's chakra, and negates everyone else's?_ Sakura mused.

"Argh! You're so annoying! Just die already!" Kiri snarled.

Her head whipped up and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at the Grass missing nin. "Annoying you say?" Sakura scoffed. "But you are right. I tire of your idiocy. Time to kill you."

And before Hyuna Kiri could blink, Sakura was already in his face, swinging her sword down. It was by instinct that Kiri brought up his sword to block her blow. Both were channeling chakra into their weapons, and the resounding clash of two chakra-enhanced swords created a small shockwave that blew the opponents apart.

Sakura landed on her feet, fighting the urge to take a moment to regain her balance. Instead she shot back towards Kiri, not giving her opponent time to recover. It was by pure luck the Kiri swayed left just enough that Sakura's swords cleaved into his side, and didn't outright cut him in half. Nevertheless, Hyuna coughed up copious amounts of blood as he fell to his knees.

The wound from the Blodrhun was already blackening around the edges, and the veins around the cuts stood out against the skin, black as well. The pain running through the wound was ten times worse than a wound of that size from a normal weapon. Sakura knew her Blodrhun would enhance the pain, and Kiri was nearly immobile from the shock.

In an unconscious move, Sakura's movements became more languid, predatory, as she approached the debilitated missing nin. She moved the tip of her sword under his chin, and Hyuna Kiri gasped att he mere contact of the Blodrhun, jerking his head away with a wince. Sakura remove dher sword and stared down at Kiri.

"What… Is that thing?" he gasped, blood dribbling down his chin.

Sakura's face remained impassive. "It is a Blodrhun. And I am its master."

The blade of her sword glinted, the air whistled, and a missing ninja's head fell to the floor. Sakura watched curiously as the blood on her swords was absorbed, and the red hue of her Blodrhun seemed to deepen. A satisfactory hum emanated from the weapon as it drank its fill of pain. Running her finger down the flat of her blade, Sakura marveled at how all the blood was now gone, her sword clean.

Concentrating on her Blodrhun, the weapon morphed back to its original, seemingly harmless shape.

Ignoring the headless body next to her, Sakura walked to the door opposite the one she had entered through. She found herself in a room that was dim compared to the one she had just left, lit only by torches on their sconces.

"An impressive battle."

Sakura turned to look at her trainer. "Kashinu-sama." She bowed her head. Sakura was vaguely alarmed to see that Kashinu had aged. How long had she been imprisoned in that dark cell?

Her trainer nodded emotionlessly. "I did not expect you to unlock your Blodrhun's morphing abilities so soon, Sakura-gakusei." **(gakusei- student)**

Sakura glanced down at her weapon.

"How long was I in the cell?" she whispered.

Kashinu shrugged. "About a year, actually."

"Tell me, Sakura-gakusei." Kashinu said in her usual brisk voice. "To whom is your ultimate allegiance?"

_Leaves fall from the trees, wind blows through her hair, birds are singing-_

_Someone is instructing her patiently, the smell of sake, pale blonde strands, shifting papers, hands of a healer and mother figure-_

_One lone eye, creased into a smile always tinged with sadness, silver hair, a hand on her head, ruffling her hair, a drawling excuses-_

_Hugging her close, loud and obnoxious, the smell of ramen in her nose, an orange flash, a smile like the sun, he is the sunshine in her life, her rock, her brother-_

Without hesitation, her eyes don't even blink, ignoring the images in her head, she replies,

"My allegiance, my blood, belongs to the Haruno Clan."

* * *

><p><strong>Aaaaaaand it's done.<strong>

**Note! There are several psychological factors in this chapter. I'm not a psychologist, so don't shoot me if any of this is wrong. I'm just going with what works for the story. I don't really want to explain it all, but here are two that are important to Sakura's emotional suppression:**

**1) The ****cell****. The indefinite amount of time in her cell. Extended periods of time without human contact causes what one could call regression of social behavior. Sakura's train of thought was reduced to surviving every moment in the cell, until higher thinking orders were reduced in importance. The darkness eliminates understanding of time and place, and Sakura is isolated within her mind.**

**2) The ****soup****. The soup! Remember that extremely disgusting, vile, overpowering bitter taste mentioned? I learned that schizophrenics (this has nothing to do with Inner Sakura) are sometimes treated with high doses of ****Lithium****. But was a result of those medications, their emotions are pretty much eliminated. Flat. Zero. Nada.**

**And there you have it. A little psychology lesson. Which isn't much, because my psychology teacher was an arrogant asshole. But anyway~**

**Review! And check out my other story ideas on my Bio page please!**

**~Lilithia**


	7. Chapter 6: Seven Devils

**Like omg here's a Christmas present for you guise an extra-long chappie love ya~**

**Please don't kill me! I know it's been forever! But look, this is my favorite story to write too! So I suffered just as much as you guys did in waiting for its return. Hehe *dodges various assortments of fruits and vegetables***

**Author's rant: Fuck you Kishi. ****Fuck****. ****You****. You ****CAN NOT**** kill Neji. I refuse. NEJI WILL **_**NEVER**_** DIE. You can kill yourself, **_**BUT NOT NEJI**_**. Fuck. You. BRING HIM BACK. I DEMAND THIS. And just to spite you, none of my stories will **_**ever **_**have a dead Neji. **_**I will not write a dead Neji.**_** Yeah, how do you like that? Suck my nonexistent balls.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE YOU CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM ME (to see present scroll down ;D).**

**Disclaimer: I don't seriously need this. Like, fer realz.**

_Chapter Six: Seven Devils_

_I was growing stronger_

_And stronger_

_No one could defeat me_

_They encouraged my strength_

_Did they see how dangerous I was becoming?_

_Or maybe they wanted this_

_But could they control it?_

_Control Me?_

_{*~*~*}_

_Holy water!_

_Cannot help you now_

_A thousand armies couldn't keep me out_

_See I've come to burn your kingdom down_

_And no rivers and no lakes, can put the fire out  
>I'm gonna raise the stakes; I'm gonna smoke you out<em>

_And now all your love will be exorcised_

_They can keep me alive; 'Til I tear the walls_

_'Til I slave your hearts; And they take your souls_

_And what have we done? Can it be undone?  
>In the evil's heart; In the evil's soul<br>Seven devils all around you, Seven devils in your house  
>See I was dead when I woke up this morning and I'll be dead before the day is done<em>

_{*~*~*}_

"Congratulations." Kashinu smirked with a little more feeling than Sakura was used to seeing her with. "You have passed the Second Lesson. You have exceeded my expectations, Haruno Sakura."

Sakura bowed, doing her best to ignore her aching muscles.

"Come." Her trainer turned and walked towards the stairs. "Back to the barracks. You will 24 hours to rest before we begin honing your weapon skills. Brace yourself, gakusei, the path to the Third and final lesson is a gruesome one."

Sakura followed, thinking that the Harunos had a vastly different definition of gruesome than most people. What they considered gruesome must be truly daunting indeed.

_{*~*~*}_

They had both passed the Second Lesson. Sakura and Mika supported each other's exhausted bodies as they walked through the training fields of the Haruno compound, stumbling into the barracks. Leaning on the walls, not caring that they left more than a few bloody handprints on the walls, the two eventually reached the fourth door down on the left. Their room.

Sakura opened the door, coughing as a layer of dust was disturbed. The light from the narrow windows filtered in, lighting the swirling particles in the air, the fine layer of dirt and dust from the year-long absence of its inhabitants. Their beds were made- obviously the clan had sent in servants to clean the room up after Sakura's and Mika's abduction on that night so long ago. Sakura had been expecting tangled sheets and haphazardly thrown sheets, maybe a spatter of blood or two from when Mika had- as she had later told Sakura- broken the nose of one of her abductors.

But the bed sheets were crisp and the pillows were in place. The floor had been cleaned, and now all it needed was a good sweeping. In her peripheral Mika slowly left the room, returning with a pair of brooms from the utility closet that the servants kept at the front of the corridor. The two swiftly set to work disturbing the settled dust, patting the beds until all of the dust in the room was floating in the air, making the two of them sneeze several times before Mika executed a small wind jutsu that swept through the room and ushered out the thick storm of dust and dirt.

With the quick cleaning done, the two shinobi allowed their exhaustion to bear down on them. Stripping out of their armor and placing the heavy plates against the wall, both girls threw the rest of their sullied, bloodied clothes on the ground and crawled into their beds. Groans and hisses of pain accompanied every movement as the weight of the world settled onto their shoulders, forcing them into a dreamless sleep.

When Sakura's eyes next opened, she would guess it was about noon the next day. It was strange to think that, apart from her stay in the darkness, the days bleeding into nights; this was the latest she or Mika had ever slept in since Kashinu began training them.

It was nice to push back the covers leisurely and stretch out her aching muscles, contorting her body like a lazy cat, so that every muscle twinged with the sweet pain. Rolling out of her bed sent her nerves on haywire as her injuries made themselves known. Sakura held up her arms, turning them in the light and then glanced down at her naked body, as if discovering the bruises and cuts and welts for the first time. Across the room, Mika's eyes opened slowly, blinking at Sakura. The pinkette glanced from Mika to the door to the bathroom next to the foot of her bed.

"I call first shower!" Sakura said quickly, darting to the door before Mika could hop out of her bed. Mika pounded on the locked bathroom door in frustration, growling at Sakura and making half-hearted threats before moving away from the door when she heard the shower begin to run.

Huffing in vague amusement, Mika turned and opened the dresser the sat at the foot of her bed, picking out a couple rolls of bandages and antibiotic, as well as an outfit that she could change into after Sakura finished showering.

The water turned off in the bathroom, and Sakura walked out clad in a towel. As Mika wordlessly nodded and entered the bathroom, her roommate had already reached her own dresser. Sakura was thankful for Mika's medical supplies and began dressing her wounds from the feet up, pulling on black leggings and biker shorts after she had practically wrapped her entire legs.

By then Mika had exited her shower, a towel folded around her body. The redhead immediately walked over to Sakura, silently beginning to dress the wounds on Sakura's back. When that was done, Sakura set to work binding her breast, then pulling on a mesh shirt with sleeves down to her elbows, and placing a red jacket on top.

By this time Mika was finishing dressing the wounds on her legs, so Sakura walked over and helped clean and treat the wounds on her back. After they had both finished clothing themselves, the two companions exited the barracks.

The day was oddly silent, the sky was overcast, and only the distant song of birds twittering provided background noise. The two kunoichi never spoke a word to each other, preferring the company of their own thoughts. They found a secluded zen garden away from the training grounds, closer to the actual personal apartments of the adult Harunos.

There the two found perches on two large, smoothed and rounded rocks placed to look over the intricate designs traced into the sea of sand, with only a couple of strategically placed bonsai trees and some lilacs for scent as vegetation. Settling into the lotus pose, the Harunos sat in companionable silence and meditated for the rest of the day.

There was something different between them. It was as if the Second Lesson had opened some part of their minds. Sakura could _feel_ the world. The faint life force that circulated through the environment, in rocks and sand, and brighter in the organisms such as the lilac and bonsai, and then it shone greatly from Mika. It flowed faster and brighter as it entered the higher organisms. Sakura could feel her own life force, swirling with her chakra, and the dark taint that was the Blodrhun, like smoke on the water.

It was amazing.

Something touched her thoughts, and Sakura flinched, both in mind and body. But then that something chuckled. It was Mika's laugh (as close as the girl ever came to laughing, anyway). Sakura's eyes shot wide open and she found Mika's eyes one her, shining with the mischief her cousin always reserved for Sakura's presence.

"How?" Sakura whispered.

"You didn't know?" Mika said aloud. "The Second Lesson opens our minds to telepathic awareness with other Harunos.

"So the other Harunos can hear what I think?!" Sakura fought hard to keep her voice from squeaking. If they found out about Inner Sakura and her not-quite-so-buried emotions…

Mika smirked. "No, Sakura. They can only hear words- complete thoughts- if you direct it to someone. For other Harunos, it is simply an awareness."

Sakura tilted her head. "I don't follow."

"The awareness is something the Harunos developed for the battlefield, so that the clan can fight as one entity. We feel the movements of our fellows, and directions can be sent in the form of a feeling rather than in sentences. Words take too long to form and send when the tide of battle can change within a second." Mika explained. "However we are more susceptible to the thoughts of Harunos that we are closer to rather than those we have barely met."

It was a genius battle asset. Sakura's analytical mind, which had grown in leaps and bounds since it melded with her Blodrhun, could see how one could take a battlefield in mere seconds with an army acting as one united battle machine rather than individual shinobi trying to avoid their own fellows when unleashing the full power of a Blodrhun.

"Amazing." Sakura breathed. "But does that mean that from now on everyone can, uh, feel my thoughts?"

Mika shook her head. "Most of us keep our minds shut. We only tend to open up to the others in case of emergency."

"Did you have this before the Second Lesson?" Sakura questioned. Shouldn't Mika be new to this as well?

Mika shook her head. "Well- " she paused. "Well younger Harunos have it, but weaker. The Second Lesson opens the mind, if you want to say that. You were new, so you wouldn't have had time to cultivate the beginning stages of telepathy."

"Oh…" Sakura said. She got it. Kinda. Sort of. Not really…

"Since we are going to be partners," Mika moved on, "You best get used to our minds being synched."

"How do you know we are going to be partners?"

Mika looked at Sakura as if she were stupid. The wind blew her red and white streaked bangs into her face. Mika blew them out of her face with frustration. "Because we are roommates and have the same trainer, Sakura." There was an unspoken '_duh_' at the end of the sentence.

Sakura looked down at her hands. "Oh. Sorry."

Mika was silent for a moment. "Look, it's hard for me to explain all this to you-"

"I thought you were doing a pretty good job." Sakura interrupted her. Mika's eyes softened but continued.

"-and it's hard having you as my partner. You're not like the other Haruno kids. You have been beyond the walls, you were trained differently, and most of all you think differently." Mika brought out her Blodrhun and began running her fingers across its surface, the veins on her hands tinting black at the weapon's touch. "To some extent, I can still sense some emotion from you and… it's strange, to me. Your emotions show themselves at the strangest moments: a falling leaf, a bouquet, when you are looking at the sky, at the moon… Your eyes take on this look that is so strange-"

"It's called regret." Sakura growled with an edge to her voice that surprised even herself. "Can we not talk about it?"

They lapsed into silence.

Finally, Mika's voice cut into the air. "The other Haruno students talk about you, you know. Gossip is not common among us, but you have to admit your arrival was… unprecedented."

Sakura looked up from her hands with surprise. "They talk about… me?"

Mika nodded then her mouth curled in that almost-smile that so many Harunos practiced. "You're the most they have had to talk about since my immature phase."

Sakura lifted one eyebrow. "You? Immature?"

Her cousin looked uncomfortable, shifting in her lotus position to one where she hugged her knees. "I tend to have a… mischievous streak. One that Kashinu never really beat out of me."

She looked over her cousin with a critical eye, thinking of the girl she thought she knew. Mika was kind of quiet, that scrawny girl she had first met was gradually filling out with muscle. Her hair had grown again, past her shoulders, with its occasional streaks of white. Mischief? Mika?

"I find that hard to believe." Sakura said.

"Good." Mika huffed. "The last time I disobeyed Kashinu she nearly killed me with the beating she gave me. I was careful to bury my old self after that."

"Oh." They both winced, remembering the many bruises Kashinu loved to grant them.

They lapsed into silence again.

Sakura spoke first this time. "So… are we telepathy buddies now or something?"

Mika snorted. "Whatever you want to call it."

_{*~*~*}_

"Before you can find a preference among the shapes your Blodrhun may assume, you must first master every shape." Kashinu stood in front of the rows of Haruno graduates. Five Haruno children had passed to the Second Lesson.

The students did not bother to hide the frustration in their eyes. It would take years to master every weapon technique. Standing beside Kashinu, Haruno Hikaru smirked evilly at them.

Haruno Hikaru specialized in teaching the Second Lesson, just as Haruno Kashinu specialized in teaching the First. Hikaru was tan from days outside, his skin a healthy dark peachy color. His hair was a bright red, scarlet even, and was pulled into a high ponytail with strands framing his handsome face, high cheekbones and a straight nose, with slanted, predatory eyes. The tip of his ponytail touched the spot between his shoulder blades. Hikaru was a tall man, broad and confident, his smirk a strange sight compared to the impassivity of the other Harunos. His eyes were brown flecked with green, darting from face to face on his newest students, catching any hints of emotion.

Those eyes turned to Kashinu. "Let's not have our students worry about mastering any weapon yet. First they must learn the basics." His voice was surprisingly deep.

Kashinu nodded in agreement. "Students, this will be your teacher for the Second Lesson. I will still be assisting of course, but you will ultimately need his approval to move on to the Third Lesson. However, as many of you know, not all Harunos achieve the Third Lesson. In fact, most of you will remain a Second class fighter for the rest of your lives."

The students shifted nervously.

Sakura, standing second from the left of the row facing the senseis, directly in front of Kashinu, felt a certain thrill of adrenaline shoot through her. Her Blodrhun, though still in its sheath, hummed at the thought of the Third Lesson. The dark whispers always haunting her hearing, always at the edges of her mind, suddenly increased in volume. Like dark smoke, the tendrils of the Blodrhun's awareness curled around her mind, promising the power of the Third state, whatever it may be.

It would make her stronger... And stronger… And _crush_ the enemy.

Sakura blinked as she came to herself, her hand instinctively, but slowly to avoid notice, resting itself on her Blodrhun's handle. Though she wanted to contemplate what the Blodrhun could mean with its whisperings, she didn't give herself the leisure. If either of her teachers noticed her inattentiveness, she would be punished.

However Sakura felt Mika's awareness touch hers, asking if she was okay. Obviously her cousin had felt her lapse in attention. Feeling slightly guilty, Sakura pushed back with a feeling a reassurance- she was fine, she told Mika.

All the students were dressed in black nin pants and sleeveless shirts, their only accessories being their sandals and the belts that sheathed their Blodrhuns. Mika was the last student in line, and somehow her familiar dark red hair was a comfort.

To Sakura's right, the other three students were male. She later learned their names were Naoki, Tadashi, and Jun, from the one closest to her to the one at the end of the line. She studied them from the corner of her eye, still wary of the Haruno clan members.

Naoki's chakra signature was oddly calming. It pulsed evenly, like waves rolling on the shore of a beach. His white hair was shaggy, shadowing his eyes. Like every good shinobi, he was tall and slim, holding his body in a deceptively relaxed position, though Sakura knew better. He was ready to jump into action at any moment. Still, something about him unnerved her.

Tadashi was similar. His chakra signature didn't pulse quite as evenly as Naoki's, he was slightly taller, and his spiky a maroon hair, so dark it looked black, gave him greater height. He was lean as well, and Sakura's instincts told her this one was built for speed. She couldn't see from her position anything else about Tadashi.

Jun was the hardest for Sakura to see without turning her head. However from her earlier glimpses of him when they had been walking out to the fields, he was shorter than the first two and stocky, favoring strength over speed. His skin was tanned peachy, his pale red hair with a few strands of white, pulled into a stubby low ponytail.

Sakura's attention was pulled back to Hikaru as he and Kushina began to split the students into groups. Her instincts screamed as Hikaru approached her. His aura was dangerous. And although he was her trainer, she could tell through his movements that he was used to being the most dangerous one in a room. She believed it.

The Blodrhun whispered in her mind, reassuring her, strengthening her.

She calmed her heartbeat and lifted her chin. If she weren't studying Hikaru, she would have missed the way his mouth relaxed as if to smile. She imagined that is he had ever smiled; he would have been very handsome.

"You." Hikaru pointed at Sakura. He glanced down the row. "You. And You." He pointed at Naoki and Jun. "You guys come with me. Kashinu will take the other two."

The students left with their respective senseis. Sakura followed just behind Hikaru, aware of Naoki and Jun following behind her. Unabashedly Sakura studied her sensei. Her Blodrhun was itching at the sight of Haruno Hikaru, as if there was something about him that made it uneasy. He made her uneasy as well. Whether it was a threat or not remained to be seen. She could see through his training garb the well-defined muscles of his back, his sharp shoulder blades, and-

_**Seriously hot ass.**_

_What the- SHUT UP INNER! I thought the conditioning killed you!_

_**I'm harder to kill than that! Inner huffed. Give me some credit! Besides, I'm part of the package baby!**_

_That makes no sense._

_**Being a Haruno comes with a wonderful voice in your pretty little head.**_

_No seriously._

_**I am being serious.**_

_Are you telling me the other Harunos have an annoying, perverted voice in their head?_

_**Inner shrugged. I dunno. Some might. But I don't think a lot of Harunos have 'inners' as advanced as me.**_

_So I do have alternate personality disorder._

_**No! I'm part of your bloodline.**_

_And you didn't tell me before because…?_ If Sakura could be face to face with her Inner, she would have scowled so hard it would be permanent.

_**Inner laughed guiltily. It, uh, didn't seem that important…..?**_

It sounded more like a question than an answer, and Sakura was seriously repressing an urge to face palm. She didn't want the Harunos to think she'd gone cray-cray. Yet.

_**Hey, your hottie sensei is about to start speaking. You should pay attention.**_

Sakura was about to snap back when Hikaru spoke up.

"Okay, first I want all of you to practice shaping your Blodrhun into various weapons." Hikaru began to explain.

"But we already know how to change our Blodrhuns. That's why we passed the Second Lesson." Jun spoke up. This close, Sakura took in details she didn't catch earlier. Jun had jade eyes, his face was rather square shaped, and even with his Haruno conditioning and impassive face, he gave off a cocky, arrogant aura.

Sakura blinked, and suddenly Haruno Hikaru was in front of Jun, his arm already on its path to slamming into the shorter man's jaw, knocking Jun to the ground. Hikaru whipped out his Blodrhun and without changing it from its original shape, pressed it against Jun's shoulder. Jun gave a gasp and a hiss, scrunching his face as he carefully channeled the pain.

"Do not interrupt me." Hikaru murmured lowly, danger resonating in his calm voice.

When he stepped back, Jun quickly got up so as not to incur any more wrath from their sensei. However Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it seemed Hikaru was not as heavy-handed with the Blodrhun as Kashinu.

"Continuing with my instructions, before I was so rudely interrupted," The three students quickly returned their full attention to Hikaru. "You will practice morphing your weapons. Right now it takes you about three to eight seconds to morph your weapon, and you have to concentrate hard to do it. This is a problem."

Hikaru began pacing slowly in front of the students, looking down on them (with the exception of Naoki, who was the same height) and attempting to intimidate them with his powerful presence. Sakura was surprised to find she wasn't intimidated in the least.

Her Blodrhun purred hungrily at her side and in her mind. She was so much stronger than they knew, it told her. What a joke that this man thought he could push her down through sheer will. Just wait, it told her. Wait until she was at her full strength. They would topple kingdoms!

Sakura violently lurched her mind out of that dark abyss that her Blodrhun frequently dragged her to. It was dangerous how used to it she was becoming. Hikaru's voice broke through the haze of Sakura's Blodrhun. "Every second in battle counts. You don't have a spare five seconds to lose focus and morph your Blodrhun. That will get you killed."

When he reached the end of the row, near Jun, Hikaru turned to pace back towards Sakura. "Morphing your Blodrhun needs to be effortless. The Blodrhun must be changing shape at the same time you think to morph it. It must become an extension of you, not a weapon you have to dominate and force your will."

"So," Hikaru turned again when he reached Sakura, "when you can demonstrate to me that you can change you weapon into five different weapons within two seconds, without strain and without any pause between the shapes, you may not move on to learning the basic moves of weapon training."

In her head, Sakura's Blodrhun practically cackled. The man's challenge was child's play. Sakura pushed away the Blodrhun's infectious confidence (or should it be arrogance?) to analyze her own experience in morphing the Blodrhun. She had only achieved it when she had to face that missing-nin in the Second Lesson, but after the initial struggle to morph the Blodrhun it was as if… It was like she had burst through a barrier. After that first struggle to morph the Blodrhun, she couldn't imagine it being hard to repeat. It was a lot like medical jutsus.

Hikaru sent the students to find an area to practice morphing their Blodrhuns. Sakura walked closer to a line of trees to practice in the shade, while Hikaru began visiting with his students, talking to Jun then Naoki for a couple minutes each. Sakura turned her attention back to her Blodrhun, concentrating on forming a sword. Much to her embarrassment, it didn't budge. She pushed her consciousness against the Blodrhun. Hadn't it said morphing would be easy? Hypocrite.

Her Blodrhun proved her wrong at the thought as it instantly morphed into a sword. Sakura rolled her eyes at the weapon in her hand. Of course she would select the demonic, sentient weapon from hell with an attitude. Concentrating again, Sakura counted five seconds for her sword to become a dagger. Next it was three seconds to shift into an iron fan. Two seconds to become a broadsword. And finally the moment she thought of a kunai, there was already a blood-red kunai glinting in her hand.

The power of the Blodrhun curled inside her, praising her prowess.

As Hikaru sent the other two students back to practice, Sakura noticed he was approaching her. Just in case she wasn't already standing straight, Sakura lifted her chin and pushed back her shoulders. In her hand, her Blodrhun hummed.

"You must be the famous Miss Haruno Sakura." Hikaru addressed her, his soft, low voice like velvet. His eyes glanced approvingly at her Blodrhun kunai.

Sakura nodded, looking him fearlessly in the eyes. "Hai… Hikaru-sensei?" She wasn't sure how to address him.

Hikaru openly smirked, and Sakura's jaw almost dropped at such wanton emotion from one of her kindred. "Sensei? I don't look that old, do I?"

Sakura said nothing, unsure of how to respond. A Haruno was… Joking? Teasing? Was she hallucinating?

Hikaru studied her face. "They did a good job with the emotional training, didn't they?"

Sakura dared answer, "Kashinu-sama is thorough."

"Indeed." Hikaru chuckled softly. "She always did have a stick up her ass, but don't tell her I said that. She beats me up every time."

Sakura remained quiet. This was a test. Surely.

"What? Not even a chuckle? Ugh, no one has a sense of humor around here." He looked disappointed. "This is why I prefer to be stationed outside the compound."

"You... You are not from the Haruno compound?" Sakura asked.

"Well I was born here, of course." Hikaru explained. "Like all Haruno are. But I am stationed as a Haruno spy elsewhere."

"Ah." Sakura murmured. Spy? Did the Harunos spy on other villages? Or even… Hidden villages? She wasn't sure if it was safe to ask, so she did not comment.

"I come back here to train those who pass the Second Lesson." Hikaru continued to explain. "Other than that, I don't like to stick around. It's too stifling. I don't know why Kashinu stays. Then again, Etsuyo-sama always did have a soft spot for Kashinu."

Now that was an interesting tidbit. "You seem quite familiar with Kashinu-sama." Sakura observed as she focused again on her Blodrhun, effortlessly morphing it into a senbon.

"She was my partner when we were still trainees."

Sakura's eyes widened fractionally before she caught herself. Luckily she was looking down at her Blodrhun, her eyes shadowed by her hair. "Really?"

Hikaru nodded with a smirk, though not quite as bright as his earlier ones. Inside Sakura was mentally thankful. His smirk did weird things with her thoughts.

"They paired the most serious Haruno of our generation with the problem child."

"You were a problem child?" Sakura asked, pretending to be distracted by her Blodrhun morphing from a senbon into a kunai again and then into a katana. She felt his eyes on her.

"Yep. I tended to get… distracted on missions." Hikaru said, watching her.

His words reminded her of someone. As her Blodrhun began to change shape, Sakura tried to break through the haze of memories. Life before the Haruno clan seemed so fuzzy… It was someone from that village she had lived in. What had his name been? She remembered a white dog and tanned skin and… two red triangle tattoos. That Inuzuka boy. He had been a player too.

"You mean girls." Sakura said without minding her words. Her earlier act pretending to be distracted by her Blodrhun practice was not so much of an act anymore. The weapon never ceased to amaze her as a small senbon suddenly morphed into a greatsword, as tall as Sakura herself, though she easily held it up with her strength.

Hikaru let out a whistle and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well I wouldn't say player." He defended. "I had a good excuse anyway. It's nice to get to know new women. All the girls in this compound were ones I had known since I could barely walk. And while we are encouraged to marry within the clan I was… disinclined."

"Hm." Sakura responded, tearing her gaze away from her Blodrhun. She didn't want to ignore her new teacher on the first day. Not too much, anyway. "I can understand."

Hikaru nodded, his face becoming serious as he seemed to switch back to sensei-mode. "You seem to have gotten the hang of that fast, Miss Sakura. I counted seven different changes in two seconds.

Sakura blinked. It hadn't seemed that fast to her.

Her instructor's mouth softened, as if he had the urge to smile. "Good job. You are already prepared to practice the basic forms."

The rest of the day Hikaru was business, instructing Sakura katas to perform with almost every type of weapon she could think of. She was to practice these for a week before she could ask Hikaru if she could begin more advanced katas or practice morphing her Blodrhun into more exotic weapons.

Every morning Sakura woke up and rushed to the training fields. She was always the first student to arrive and the last to leave (just like when she was training to become a medic ninja _but she couldn't think of that_, no that would not do, just _push those memories away_ and lock them up in that tiny spot in the back of her mind with her emotions and her heart and whatever was left of her soul). It felt good to practice with the Blodrhun. It burned her veins, the screams urging her to become stronger. And she did. She felt her taijutsu refining itself, handling any form of weapon was becoming so much easier. Her body was discovering muscles it had never known, and Sakura felt as if she were discovering her own self for the first time.

It was exhilarating and terrifying.

She knew she couldn't lose herself _(to what?)_ because she had to go home, right? _(this is your home, with the Haruno, with your Blodrhun) _she couldn't let herself forget her loyalties _(to yourself first, then the Haruno and only the Haruno)_ wait-

Why was she fighting with herself? What… had she been trying to remember?

_Nothing, just concentrate on the Blodrhun. Get stronger. Faster. Crush the enemy._

By the end of the week Sakura had found several weapons she preferred over the other. Her favorite was the sai.

A set of weapons, paired. They were heavy but agile, close range, looking like a trident with the middle tip extending three times as long as the side hooks, as long as her forearm and meant to stab. The side hooks curved out at the end, the tips meant to sideswipe an enemy and the hook meant to catch an opposing blade. The handle was tipped with a heavy octagonal prism, solid steel, the heaviest part of the weapon. It balanced the three prongs, but was also meant to bludgeon and bash, capable of incurring serious trauma, especially when applied to someone's head. Overall it was a dangerous weapon. It was a ninja's weapon, meant to counter the katana of the samurai.

Sakura also found preference with the senbon. Through some error or coincidence of her own, Sakura discover that the Blodrhun could form a senbon, and then multiply into several all at once (she wasn't sure if there was a number limit). If she threw them at her enemy, all she had to do was call the Blodrhun with her mind and the senbon would come flying back to her. Unfortunately Sakura also nearly lost an eye because her bloodthirsty Blodrhun senbon came flying at her with full speed, forcing her to catch them just as she would with enemy senbon. Her Blodrhun was such a heartless little thing. She had been angry with it the rest of the day.

Oddly enough, Kashinu had gotten Sakura hooked on using a Blodrhun whip. Adding her conscious control of the usually unwieldy whip turned it from a weapon normally unfit for the battlefield into a deadly snake. She could direct the whip with her thoughts using her connection to the Blodrhun. It flew through the air with incredible speed, glinting deep red in the light as if slick with blood. She could order it to wrap around a neck and crush with a mere flick of the wrist, or send it into a target with enough force to puncture their flesh with just the tip.

And after each day of training, Sakura would fall into bed satisfied, her Blodrhun crooning in her ear. Months passed without her knowledge, so focused on her training she was. Slowly but surely Sakura was mastering everything the Harunos threw at her.

Four months later, Sakura and Mika were given their first assignment.

_{*~*~*}_

Their first mission. The first mission the Harunos had assigned Sakura, and Sakura's first mission without a full four-man team. It was a two-man cell, Sakura and Mika.

Objective: Assassinate the household of the Tayuki lineage.

Somewhere in the back of Sakura's mind, her old self was panicking, sick with the thought of so much blood being spilt. But her Haruno conditioning had quickly taken over after Kashinu first given them their mission scroll, clamping down on her initial fear and pushing all emotion to the farthest recesses of her mind until her conscious was but a pinprick of light in a void of darkness. Kashinu's parting words echoed in Sakura's mind, determination setting in as it replayed.

"_Let no one live to tell the tale. Every warrior, servant, stable boy- none can be allowed to alert any type of authority. Our customer needs people to be unaware of the massacre for at least a week."_

Mika and Sakura stared at the estate, studying the land with cold, calculating eyes, pushing back the branches of the trees they were crouched in. The Harunos turned to each other, Mika's eyes flashing as Sakura nodded at her. Then Mika's lithe shadow slipped down the tree, darting faster than a civilian could blink towards the estate's main building, slinking up and over the wall without the guards even suspecting her intrusion. Her partner was smaller than Sakura, and was able to sneak into the house through the air vents. Now to wait.

It was sometime around one in the morning. Sakura squatted precariously on a tree branch, at ease at her dangerous position. The wind gusted again, slapping pink hair in her face, but her eyes did not so much as twitch. Glowing green eyes were locked on the building in front of her, every window dark, and its inhabitants asleep; waiting. The tall tree swayed with the wind, but Sakura stayed put on the branch, never once worrying about falling.

She wore black knee-high boots with buckles on the sides, and black biker shorts over gray, skin-tight leggings. Her top was a fishnet shirt with sleeves ending at the elbows, with a black band binding her breasts, and wore a dark red scarf around her neck to hide her face, the only article of clothing she wore that had any color. The Blodrhun was sheathed on her left hip, and behind that was her medic pouch. On her right hip she carried several scrolls, most were weapons scrolls, with a kunai and shuriken pouch on her right and left thigh, respectively. The standard Haruno crest was on the tail end of her red scarf, and her pink hair was pulled into a high ponytail, the ends brushing just past her shoulder. She had pads on her elbows and knees, as well as fingerless gloves with extremely sharp steel knuckles on them, which she frequently used to break her enemies' faces.

She was sixteen now, but she felt so much older.

"I'm in." A voice crackled through the comm* on her ear.

Sakura unsheathed her Blodrhun and jumped from her hiding spot, placing one hand on the tree trunk to guide her as she slid down the tree. Her boots connected with the ground in quietly, and Sakura placed a hand on the device on her ear to whisper, "Going dark." before turning off her earpiece. Her steps were muffled by the grass as she ran towards the building.

She crossed the space between the trees and the walls of the estate in the blink of an eye, her shinobi speed leaving no trace for the guards to follow. In mere minutes Sakura was hiding in the shadow of the mansion, waiting for her partner to let her in. Her eyes darted at every sound and movement, watching as the estate's guards walked right by her shadowed body, not seeing her in her black garb. Breath even, Sakura almost could care less if the guards had sensed her, knowing she could have killed them without them so much as drawing breath to warn the others.

The window above her clicked open, and a hand reached down from the second story. Sakura leaped up and grabbed the hand, leveraging herself on the wall the help her partner pull her into the house. The window shut silently behind her as Sakura's boots met carpet. Her eyes connected with similarly green eyes as Mika motioned to move forward.

Without speaking, the two shadows nodded and proceeded deeper into the heavily guarded estate. The book they were looking for was in the owner's private library. The security in the house was mostly just jutsus, easy enough for the Harunos to avoid, but there was one jutsu that had caused trouble for the thieves before them. It was a Sound jutsu, and targeted unknown voices, even whispers, which was why the mission had to be completed without speaking.

Mika stole off to the room across from the master bedroom. The family had three children: two boys, twins, twelve years old, and an infant, one year and one month old. The infant slept in the room across from the master bedroom, while the two boys slept down the hall.

The master bedroom was large and spacious, all Persian rugs and fine crystal lighting, the clan leader and his wife sleeping peacefully in a large oak, four post bed, with deep purple drapes. Her eyes locked on the body of the man, sleeping peacefully in his bed next to an equally unsuspecting wife. Glowing green eyes lit the darkness as Sakura studied their positions to finalize which method of assassination would cause the least disturbance. The man and wife were sleeping on their sides, face each other. She had no doubt that the woman would scream if she woke up when Sakura killed the husband.

In her hand, Sakura knew the black veins on the surface of her Blodrhun were already slithering in anticipation, and the familiar whispers sang in the back of her head. Used to the bloodlust of her weapon by now, Sakura didn't even have to concentrate on the weapon before it morphed into a long, thin shape. Senbon in hand, Sakura crept up behind the target and slowly cupped her hand under the man's chin, holding his head still. With one quick, strong motion, the senbon was thrust into the back of the man's head, severing spinal cord and brain.

_Crack. Squish. Squelch. Rattle._ The faint sounds of death nearly shook her to the bone, but Sakura continued her action, feeling through her Blodruhn how easy- _so so easy- _the flesh parted, the moment her senbon hit the bone _crack crack rattle_ giving her arm the extra strength to push through the spine _shatter_ and into the cranium _squelch_ and into the brain_ how weak humans are so weak and breakable_.

Quick. Efficient. Clean. Somewhere inside her there was a screaming voice

She gently guided the man's head back to the pillow before darting to the other side of the bed, quickly repeating the same death blow to the wife. Both bodies were now limp. The only sign of death would be the hole at the base of the man's neck where the blood poured out. And the lack of breathing, of course.

She stole out of the room, closing the door silently behind her, never once stopping to feel guilt or regret. She didn't feel those anymore anyway. Mika was waiting for her in the other room, book in hand.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in question. _Any trouble?_

Mika allowed the corner of her mouth to curl upwards, the equivalent of a smirk on a Haruno. _It's handled._

Sakura's eyes slid to the doorway to the infant's bedroom, where the door was open enough that she could see the body of the midwife meant to guard the child. _How pathetic._ Sakura nearly jerked at the thought that just ran through her mind. It was… especially heartless for her. Taking a moment to cast a suspicious look at her Blodruhn, Sakura turned back to Mika. Her cousin jerked her head in the direction of their next target, and Sakura followed Mika to the next pair of doors.

Sakura took the doorway to the right, Mika the left. The door creaked once as Sakura opened it, and a million different curses flew through her head. However the figure lying in the lavish bed merely mumbled in his sleep and turned over. A quick glance around the room for any hidden guards of traps, Sakura stole over to the bedside, glancing down at the young heir of the wealthy estate. She was careful not to look long enough at the target, only enough to find the easiest method of execution. Her Blodruhn leapt to her hand, morphing into a senbon. She repeated the method she had used on the target's parents.

Back in the hallway, Mika's Blodruhn dagger was stained red, but Sakura knew the blood was already being absorbed. The girls continued their death march across the floor of the building, stealing into the rooms of sleeping relatives and sneaking up behind guards. Third floor cleared.

With the top floor of the building completely silent, the two snuck down to the second story and continued their mission. Second floor cleared.

By the time they got to the second floor Sakura and Mika were getting tired of how easily the mission was going. Mika in particular itched for a proper fight. She sighed and slayed another unsuspecting guard, Sakura doing the same with the guard's partner. First floor cleared.

Exiting through the window, Sakura landed in the side garden and glanced around for any guards. Everything was clear, and she snapped her fingers in signal. Above her, Mika jumped out of the room, the clouds revealing the moon long enough to cast a glow on Mika. Her clothes consisted of a sleeveless fishnet shirt, underneath that she wore red tube top that covers the top of her breasts and ended just above her bellybutton, showing off less midriff than Sakura. Like Sakura, Mika wore skin-tight gray leggings and black shorts. Her wild red hair was cut shorter than when they had first met, in a bob with slight curls at the ends that framed her face. Mika was no longer the scrawny girl Sakura had first met, but had grown into her womanly curves at the age of fifteen.

Working in silent synchronization, the two split up again. Sakura took the western half of the walls, climbing to the roof of one of the estate's servant quarters. She could feel their gently life force and chakra, flowing evenly in their sleep. Soon.

But for now, she allowed the shadows to cover her as she placed her back against the chimney and surveyed the guards along the fortress walls. Her Blodrhun morphing into a bow, an arrow materializing into her palm, she strung the arrow on the longbow. Twisting her body to the side, drawing her arms back, the cord biting into her fingers and her breathing slowing as she steadied herself… she released the first shot.

There was a whisper in the air and in the blink of an eye a guard's head snapped to the side, his body collapsing.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

There wasn't time for alarm. The guards had been taken out before any warning could be voiced. Sakura allowed a grim satisfaction to enter her consciousness, courtesy of her Blodrhun. It thrummed in her hand, its bloodlust sated.

Sakura launched herself into the air, landing on the walls, crouching low as she ran to the watchtower overlooking the back end of the estate. She stole quickly into the tower, appearing behind the watchmen and slicing their necks with a Blodrhun dagger, their blood gushing warmly onto her hand. Pulling back Sakura glanced at the controls and quickly flicked a couple switches to close the gates. Then she leaned jumped out of the tower and onto the mechanisms that controlled the large gates. After studying them for a minute, Sakura made a swift decision and sliced through the ropes that would open the gates.

Anyone still in the estate was locked in from this side. Mika was doing the same to the front gate. No one could escape.

Next Sakura turned to the servant's houses. There were three, lined up in rows on each side of the main mansion, each house holding about ten to fifteen servants. Sakura entered the first one she came upon and set to work delivering souls and blood to her Blodrhun.

_**Inner Sakura watched passively.**_

The Blodrhun rejoiced.

Stronger.

Stronger.

Stronger.

_No one will stand in our way… _It hissed gleefully. The screams and moans of the dying filled its consciousness, the darkness and pain guiding her hand. _Crush the enemy._

***Note: "comm" or "comms" refers to a communication device, as used in military lingo.**

**But seriously guys, this is the hardest school year for me, no joke. I'm taking hard classes to make the colleges happy, I have been working nonstop since August.**

**PLEASE READ:**** I have a DeviantArt account. It is under the same name as my FF account (LilithiaRW in case you couldn't guess). I will be posting some pictures for this story, since I love it so much and I really want you all to see the outfits and stuff. If you want to look at the pictures, please leave a comment! And if you want to do your own art, of course you may! I would love for a reader to make a cover page for this story or something. ^_^**

**Read.**

**And.**

**Review!**

**Lots 'O Love!**

**~Lilithia**


	8. Chapter 7: Colorblind

**Happy Holidays everyone! This chapter isn't as long as I'd like, but I had to end it before I started getting carried away. Some things are not ready to be revealed yet ;)**

**Sorry if it's late, ****freaking Fanfiction was NOT letting me log on like what the hell!**

**I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Seven: Colorblind<em>

_Betrayal is such a curious word._

_One must first trust in order to be truly betrayed._

_Innocence is lost._

_That line between dark and light is already so faint._

_Until we are all trapped in shades of grey._

_Only the foolish leave their hearts so open._

_Never again._

_{*~*~*}_

_I am covered in skin_

_No one gets to come in_

_Pull me out from inside_

_I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding_

_I am colorblind_

_{*~*~*}_

The village was a nameless, unimportant place. Its inhabitants consisted of elderly farmers and their children who were still too young to seek adventure in elsewhere in bigger, more exciting cities. The streets were narrow and unkempt, its sole inn housed maybe twenty guests at most, and its bar was the most frequented place in the town. It was one of those backwater hamlets whose anonymity made it a preferred stop for less-than-legal mercenary groups, passing through to avoid the more secure highways. Women, young and pretty, were virtually nonexistent here and would no doubt draw attention.

For this reason Sakura and Mika had henged themselves to look like tall, dirty, scrawny highwaymen. Sakura's cover was a deeply tanned young man, her hair now black and hanging in limp layers that curtained her face, from which sharp green eyes glared out from. Mika's short hair was now a mud brown, her face squared out and eyes the same jade green, her cover just as scrawny and lanky as Sakura's. They were both dressed in black shirts and pants, wearing black cloaks and keeping to the shadows, weapons hidden.

"We need to keep moving, Sho." The brunette 'male' murmured to his partner. "Finish your drink."

Sakura gave a slight nod, but continued to stare into her drink, tugging on false black strands of hair in thought. It was unusual for her to be so distracted but… Her eyes slid to glance at the package sitting on top of one of the chairs at their table. A box wrapped in brown paper, no writing or anything to indicate its purpose, sat innocently on the table. Still, she couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine every time she touched it. It gave her bad vibes, the kind that made her shinobi instincts scream in a way that usually preceded an ambush or discovering a room full of dead bodies. Mika had gotten the same nauseous feeling from the package and had somehow convinced Sakura to be its carrier. The bitch.

After traveling all day to deliver the package to the city of Amegakure, Sakura had finally been forced to call for a rest stop halfway through their journey. The dark vibes she was getting from the box had unsettled her so much that anything less than alcohol would have made her throw up. However now that lunch was over, it was time to pick up the vile thing and continue their journey. Sakura sighed and pushed her sake away from her.

"Fine." She grunted, picking up the package with the tips of her fingers and placing it inside her knapsack. "Before the alcohol wears off."

Mika nodded and threw down some cash, following her out. They ignored the suspicious stares of the bar's regular customers, strolling lazily into an alley and around the town (what self-respecting ninja takes the main road out of town?). Their stops were slow and languid until they reached the trees. Sakura was relieved to be leaving the muddy roads in favor of the tree-hopping.

"Stop." Sakura muttered as Mika took yet another glance at her bag where the package resided in.

Mika narrowed her eyes. "So much demonic energy coming from such a little thing… Aren't you-"

Sakura silenced Mika with a glance. "It is forbidden to open the package and you know that."

By now they were far enough from the village that they had dispersed their henges, changing their clothes back to gray leggings, boots, fishnets and flashes of red. Their false faces melted into unblemished porcelain, plain and inhuman masks. Even their body language was unreadable. However, Sakura's mind link with Mika allowed her to feel her partner's anxiety.

"I know that we aren't supposed to question our orders." Mika's voice was bland, but if it had been a regular person Sakura imagined that she would have snapped. "But I'm not stupid and neither are you. Since when has anything good ever come out of Amegakure? Why would some mysterious Ame shinobi need a demonic artifact?"

Sakura frowned behind her mask. "It's not our place to ask, Mika. Now let it go."

Her shoulders relaxed and Mika turned her masked face to the north. "You're right. Never mind."

Sakura attempted to refocus on the setting sun, but her head was whirling with possibilities. Amegakure was unstable, up until recently, when the village had gone oddly quiet. Where a few years ago the broken country had been begging its neighbors for loans and supplies to rebuild itself, now the village had withdrawn its ambassadors, cut its political ties, and closed its borders to outsiders. It wasn't hard to conclude that a strong militaristic power had risen up from the ashes, perhaps a dictator of some kind. However with Ame guarding its secrets so closely, Sakura wasn't sure if that meant a shinobi power or a daimyo. Certainly not both, otherwise Ame would have reentered the international community.

However if there was one thing a broken country wanted, it was leverage. Sakura knew her history: after the great wars of the hidden villages the tailed demons had been split between the strongest, but still broken, ninja villages. And generations later, only the villages that had received a jinchuriki were still thriving. It made sense that Ame would want one as well.

The problem was, all the tailed beasts were accounted for. What kind of demonic jutsu were they planning then?

Sakura felt Mika's mind push against her own. Someone was nearby, watching. About two kilometers away, observing them by their chakra signatures. Mika and Sakura could feel the sensor's chakra barely brush against their own, a feather light pulse like a radar. The question hadn't even formed in Mika's mind before Sakura nodded in her direction, yes they would investigate. Sakura's hand signals told Mika to hold the package while she made clones.

Only with Sakura's perfect chakra control could they create two clones with identical chakra signatures while simultaneously decreasing their own so that the sensor nin would not see the switch. The two clones continued on in the original direction Sakura and Mika had been heading while the real Harunos dropped behind and stole into the cover of the trees, following the chakra pulse to its origin.

Surprise flitted briefly through their connected minds as they spotted a campsite. The fire was smoldering, red ashes glowing softly in the night. Sakura's eyes drifted to the redheaded kunoichi, from which the faint pulse was originating. The redhead was good, Sakura thought. It was only due to the Haruno's sensitivity to chakra that they even realized that they were being watched. Currently the kunoichi seemed to be sharpening her kunai, although sometimes she paused to stare aimlessly into the embers of the campfire. Across the campsite a large, orange-haired ninja sleep curled up on the ground, looking like an oversized child in the fetal position. Two trees down a white-haired ninja slept with his back against a tree, snuggling with, above all thing, a gigantic sword.

_A familiar sword._

_Water. Bridge. Wave Country?_

_Blonde hair._

_Falling leaves._

_Laughter._

Stop.

Sakura felt Mika's gaze snap up in her direction, the other Haruno feeling Sakura's mental lapse in concentration, perhaps even glimpsing Sakura's flashbacks. Returning the gaze, Sakura shook her head at Mika, reassuring her that she was fine and returning her attention to the motley group before them. They were just about to dismiss the group and get back on track when Sakura froze.

A leaf fell from the branches.

There was no wind.

Her gaze turned upwards, and Sakura felt her breath hitch softly. A dark shadow sat in the top of one of the trees, dressed in a loose white shirt, one hand gripping a katana, spiky raven hair, and ebony eyes staring off into the distance.

"_Arigatou."_

A boy's voice drifted across her consciousness. A memory tugged at the edges of her mind. But then the Blodrhun's croon invaded, like black smoke, creating a haze that thickened until the mental picture was obscured and pushed back the feeling of _weakness, vulnerability, uselessness._ She was strong, those memories were of a weak, pathetic child, don't bother to remember her.

_**Why don't we take a closer look? Just let me take over…. Inner Sakura curiously regarded the man in the trees from behind Sakura's eyes.**_

Mika's touch jolted Sakura back into reality, and with one more glimpse at the mysterious shinobi, Sakura followed her into the night.

_{*~*~*}_

Mission after mission followed.

Sakura and Mika settled into a mindless routine, although sometimes when they found themselves in a dire situation, Sakura found herself losing control of her emotions again. They always seemed to stem from Inner Sakura, but no matter how many times she berated her Inner, the annoying figure in her head would just scoff and ignore her.

Mika, bless her soul, never breathed a word to the other Harunos. With her mental connection to Sakura, Mika often felt the lapse in emotional control, even if Sakura's face didn't show it. It became a secret between them; whenever Sakura lost control Mika would help her push Inner back and shield Sakura's mind with her own so that none of the other Harunos felt Sakura's not-quite-banished emotions.

There was hope for Sakura, though. There was a dark corner in Sakura's mind, one deceptively deep and endless, where the Blodrhun connected to her soul. Whenever Inner tried to cause trouble, Sakura allowed her mind to melt into that dark corner. The Blodrhun's dark tendrils would wrap around her mind and push away Inner's touch, Inner crying out in pain if it touched her.

Inner's presence within her mind began to weaken, her meddling actions becoming less frequent.

In all of this Mika was her rock. Sakura observed that her mind seemed to be growing increasingly unstable. Between the Blodrhun, Inner, and herself, Sakura's mind was being pulled in three different directions at the same time, by completely different forces. It was dizzying sometimes, giving Sakura headaches and her vision would flicker. Mika was always there, Sakura's anchor to reality. When either the Blodrhun or Inner became too bold in the battle for Sakura's mind, Mika's mind would enter and push both away, adding its strength to the Sakura's original mind.

Mika was also her physical anchor. Both the Blodrhun and Inner had terrible timing when it came for their battle on the plains of Sakura's mind. In the middle of training in front of Hikaru or Kushina, or in the middle of reporting to Etsuyo. In feeling the presence of Sakura's mind shudder, Mika would reach out her hand and grasp Sakura's wrist, keeping the pinkette's attention in the real world, pushing away the chaos of her psychic plane.

"I don't understand what's happening in my head, Mika." Sakura confided in her one night as they sat in their room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, facing Mika's direction, her pink head bowed, hands to her temples, elbows resting on her knees. Sakura's face showed little emotion, but her eyes flashed with panic. "My Inner mind isn't even teasing me anymore. She just fights and fights with the Blodrhun presence, and its ripping my mind at the seams."

Mika approached Sakura's side, her hands hesitating as she wondered briefly how to console her frightened partner. If it was any other situation Sakura might have laughed at her, Mika's social skills were about as graceful as a rock. Awkwardly, Mika patted Sakura's shoulder with jerky movements.

"Does this happen to other Harunos?" Sakura asked her hopefully.

Mika heaved a sigh, sitting on the bed next to Sakura, her arm wrapped around her partner (as Sakura had taught her was the proper interaction between friends). "No, it doesn't."

Sakura deflated.

"What I think is happening," Mika began carefully, "Is that your inner mind is too evolved for your level of training. Our second minds are supposed to lie dormant until the Third Lesson; otherwise we cannot properly join with our Blodrhun."

"And I've had my Inner longer than my Blodrhun…" Sakura whispered worriedly.

Mika nodded. "Your 'Inner' mind is too evolved and is interfering with the growth of your own mind and your connection to your Blodrhun. The Blodrhun presence sees this as an invasion, an enemy attempting to sever its connection to you, and is responding in defense."

Sakura cocked her head. "So it's like if you put the wrong blood type into a body, and the white blood cells attack the 'foreign invaders', not realizing it is there to help."

"Er… yes?" Mika blinked, having no knowledge of medicine.

Sakura let out a scoff. "You're so hopeless." She chuckled at Mika.

"There was one Haruno that went through a similar ordeal." Mika spoke up, suddenly remembering something.

"What happened?" Sakura gave Mika her full attention.

Mika shrugged. "He accidentally awakened his second mind while connecting his mind to his Blodrhun and his head exploded."

Sakura gawked at her.

"I had never heard Harunos gossip so much since that incident." Mika said off-handedly.

"That's horrible." Sakura whispered.

Mika shrugged. "I guess."

Sakura bumped Mika with her shoulder. "You're so socially retarded, Mika-chan."

The redhead blinked. "That was an insult, wasn't it?"

Sakura chuckled and ruffled her partner's hair.

_{*~*~*}_

A few days later, something interesting happened. Sakura had been exploring the compound, finally given the liberty by a grudging Kashinu. The Haruno compound felt more like a museum that a home, with traditional and ornately decorated buildings, pristine and untouched by age. Zen gardens were frequent throughout the complex, which wasn't surprisingly given that meditation was crucial to the Haruno techniques. Sakura often saw two to four Harunos meditating per garden, some going through their katas with their Blodrhuns, their faces blank and eyes distant as they concentrated on their weapons.

Sakura had been walking through one of these gardens when she came upon Arashi.

Her uncle.

She was about to turn around and flee when he cleared his throat. "Sakura."

She froze, and slowly turned to face him. He was in a meditative position sitting under a maple tree, its leaves turning red with the coming of winter. His eyes opened and he gestured for her to approach him.

With a sigh, Sakura acquiesced. Her eyes studied Arashi as she approached him, how his heart-shaped facial structure reflected her own, his eyes jade eyes only a shade darker than her own, and his red hair cropped shorter than the last time she had seen him, the white streak of hair on his right side left longer than the rest.

"Arashi-oji-san." She greeted his solemnly.

He stood up when she stopped in front of him, his large body moving with silent grace befitting a shinobi. Sakura couldn't help but notice the similarities between Arashi and her mother, wondering what he thought of his sister being the clan traitor. Not that Sakura would ever blame her parents for what they had done.

Arashi regarded her with an unreadable expression, his eyes flickering across her face. She was an exact copy of her mother, Sakura knew. "Come, there is someone I want you to meet."

He didn't wait for her confirmation, and she knew she was expected to follow. Curious, Sakura walked behind her uncle as he led her into one of the buildings, this one branching off from the main house, with dark wooden beams and rice paper doors painted with trees and rivers. It was an elegant home, but devoid of life like most Haruno residences. Arashi led her up the steps to the door, opening it for her to walk in, and then leading her to one of the back rooms. He knocked politely.

"Enter." Came a rough voice.

Arashi opened the door to reveal an older Haruno sitting with his back to them, looking out the open window to the training grounds where a few Harunos were sparring. His hair was pure white, and when he turned to look at Sakura, piercing emerald eyes and a hawk-like nose accompanied a face that reminded her of an aged tiger, old but deadlier with each decade that passed.

"Sakura." Arashi stood to the side to introduce them. "This is Elder Kohi. Mine and your mother's father."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly and her gaze whipped back to look at the elder. Her grandfather. "K-Konichiwa…" She murmured, bowing reverently, as expected.

Elder Kohi's eyes were impassive and his body posture didn't change as he regarded his long-lost granddaughter.

Sakura glanced up and they were caught in silence.

"You…" Elder Kohi's eyes flickered across her face, an emotion flashing through his eyes but it was gone before Sakura could identify it. "You look just like your mother."

Despite all Harunos having the emotional weight of a teaspoon, Sakura got the feeling that her uncle and grandfather missed her mother. Sakura settled down on one of the cushions across form her grandfather, Arashi next to her. She had known so little about her bother before her parents had died, so she asked, "Will you tell me about my mother, oji-sama?"

"I suppose so." Elder Kohi gave her a measuring look. Glancing at Arashi, he began, "Your mother was a great kunoichi. She had mastered her Blodrhun by the age sixteen and completed her missions effortlessly. She was well respected in the clan, despite her unbecoming temper and bad penchant for mischief."

Sakura felt herself eyebrows rise with surprise. "My mother was a prankster?"

At this Arashi answered her, "And a pain in the ass."

"Arashi." Elder Kohi gave his son a scolding look, before turning to Sakura. "The clan was willing to overlook her faults, however, because she her power promised a stronger generation of Harunos."

A dark look crossed Kohi's face. "But then she went too far, and fell in love with an outsider –"

"My father." Sakura whispered.

"Yes." Elder Kohi's nodded. "A shinobi from that traitorous village!"

Sakura cocked her head in confusion, "What's wrong with Konoha?"

"They are traitors, the whole village." Kohi told her face was blank, his eyes as steady as his voice. The way he said, no inflection, no hatred, just straight up fact, cut her deeper than if he had been angry and raving.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. The Blodrhun growled. _Traitor._ Sakura loathed the word. It stoked an anger deep within her that raced through her veins. The Harnuno clan was dependent on the bonds between its members, on the ties of family that kept outsiders from finding their secret existence and tearing them apart. A traitor –like her mother, except her mother did not betray out of malicious intent –threatened everything that generations upon generations of Harunos had strived to achieve: to keep the power of the Blodrhun out of the hands of the Hidden Villages.

And then there was a deeper reason.

_Traitor._

_Charcoal eyes._

_Moonlight._

"_Arigatou"._

Sakura flexed her fingers before she had the chance to clench them into fists.

"What did Konoha do to our family?" She asked Kohi, keeping her eyes on her hands folded in her lap.

"Did you know that the Haruno Clan was one of the founding clans?"

Sakura couldn't hold back a gasp. "I thought it was just the Uchiha and Senju?"

Kohi narrowed his eyes, scoffing. "They wiped their records clean of us."

"Why?"

This time Arashi answered her. "Because by the time the Haruno Clan had fled the village, Konoha had killed half of our population."

Sakura felt her heart beating faster and faster, harder and harder. Her breathing was shallow, her hands clenched until they drew blood. The Blodrhun rumbled at her side and Inner seemed to be roused from her slumber, but Sakura's anger overrode both of them, consuming her thoughts of betrayal and disbelief. Her chest filled with a deep ache blooming from a place so deep she had forgotten its existence. The voice in her head went quiet and there was just white hot rage.

_No._

_Laughter._

"_Sakura-chan!"_

A deserted compound.

_Sunshine._

It smelled of old blood.

_Falling leaves._

_A hand extended in friendship-_

Kohi's mind, strong and aged, touched Sakura's so that she could feel the truth of his words ring through her mind.

"It was genocide."

* * *

><p><strong>Muwahahah. And no, Kohi is not lying. Sakura can feel the truth of his words when he allowed her to touch his mind.<strong>

_**Merry Christmas, and may my God bless you, no matter what religion you may follow.**_

_**You are the best readers ever.**_

**Lots O' Love, **

**~Lilithia**


	9. Chapter 8: Leave My Body

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO**

_Chapter Eight: Leave My Body_

_How foolish is the contented heart._

_How easily humans are lulled into security._

_Did you check the shadows?_

_Did you find the body of your enemy?_

_How else would you know if you are truly safe?_

_The dagger you don't see coming_

_The blade in the dark_

_It is the whisper of warning that you dismissed_

_And when the war is over, you forget._

_{*~*~*}_

_I'm gonna be released from behind these lines_

_And I don't care whether I live or die_

_And I'm losing blood, I'm gonna leave my bones_

_And I don't want your heart it leaves me cold_

_I'm gonna leave my body_

_I'm gonna lose my mind_

_Pulling me down_

_Pulling me down_

_{*~*~*}_

The Blodrhun sung in her hand as she wielded its dark power, the weapon morphing instantly at her very thoughts. The blood red weapon flashed in the sunlight, and as she blocked the incoming blow it swallowed the impact with violent greed. The connection between her Blodrhun and the other one sent a jolt up both her arms and the other Haruno. Sakura leapt away.

"Enough."

Sakura slowly stood from her defensive stance, sheathing her Blodrhun. Jun, her sparring partner did the same and they both turned to face their sensei. Hikaru approached them, his gait smooth and lithe like the predator that he was.

"Sakura, watch your stance. Your confidence in your weapon mastery is compromising your basic form, and that will throw you off balance when you least expect it." He turned to Jun. "Jun, you cannot count on brute force for everything. Fighting a kunoichi means that they will favor agility and flexibility. You must be able to keep speed and finesse to counter their attacks."

Both students nodded and slid back into their proper stances and Hikaru drew back to stand beside Naoki as they watched the spar. "Again." Hikaru commanded, and the two young Harunos clashed once more.

Sakura dodged Jun's hit as he overextended his arm in an attempt to keep her out of range and she ducked under the blow to slam her Blodrhun into his ribcage. She heard him gasp in pain even as he leapt backwards while snapping a Blodrhun whip at her neck, which left a long red cut from just below her ear to her collarbone.

Sakura's Blodrhun hissed at the scent of her blood and Sakura's grip tightened on the weapon in order to keep herself anchored to the pain. Its darkness was creeping into her mind again, urging her to go farther than just a friendly spar would allow. Allowing Jun to get a hit in, which meant a sidekick to the back that face-planted her into a tree, Sakura felt the clouded thoughts of the Blodrhun disappear and she was able to focus on the fight again. A kick that Jun had been aiming for her face ended up in the tree behind her as Sakura slipped behind him and grabbed him in a choke hold, slamming a Blodrhun dagger into his side at the same time kneeing his spine from behind.

Jun let out a roar of pain, and Sakura felt herself being thrown backwards. She landed on her feet, sliding back a short distance but otherwise keeping her balance. Glancing up revealed Hikaru had been the one to stop her from harming Jun too much, the older Haruno helping his student to his feet and ordering Naoki to take Jun to the infirmiry. Sakura felt a chill go down her spine and her Blodrhun growl in her thoughts. She hadn't even sensed Hikaru before he had hit her!

"You are progressing faster than the other students." Hikaru said blandly as he faced her, his eyes glinting with a malicious mischief. "Especially for an outsider."

"Arigato, Hikaru-sensei." Sakura murmured with a respectful bow, but her eyes remain trained on his feet and her hand was still firmly clasped around the Blodrhun. She sensed more than saw his feet move, and only by pure instinct did Sakura throw herself forward to avoid a blood red sword that was Hikaru's Blodrhun.

He was fast, faster than her, she knew. He was holding back but still Sakura struggled to keep up with her teacher. Flashes of his scarlet hair was the only way she could keep her eyes on him, his speed rivaling Kakashi, and even Gai. Attacks from her were batted away as easily as an adult slaps a child's hand, and much to her frustration, Sakura was put on the defensive.

Letting out an animalistic snarl, Sakura grabbed the blade of Hikaru's Blodrhun, gritting her teeth as its pain doubled that which she felt holding her own Blodrhun. The dull ache now roared in a burning fire that licked greedily through her veins, a keening scream ripping its way between clenched teeth. Yet she held on, enjoying the widening of HIkaru's eyes in the moments that she allowed his Blodrhun sword to slice her palm, blood trickling down her left forearm. In the same movement Sakura slid her Blodrhun along her forearm, the weapon lapping her blood up and howling for vengeance at its taste, and Hikaru nearly found himself beheaded by a longsword. They broke apart, both panting and sweating but Sakura the worse for wear, her Blodrhun humming in her right hand at the taste of her blood, ready to fight those that dare spill it.

"Powerful indeed." Hikaru chuckled, relaxing his stance and signaling her to put away her weapon as he did the same.

_But not powerful enough. _Sakura scowled at her own weakness. She had honestly thought she was becoming stronger, able to defeat her fellow Haruno students with ease (with the exception of Mika, who she considered her equal). Even if Hikaru was her sensei, even if he had years of experience with the Blodrhun, even if he had grown up among the Haruno clan and was mentally stronger than her… Sakura had thought she was at least be able to get a hit in. But she didn't. Not one.

_**Come now, Sakura, no need to be so hard on yourself. Maybe if you didn't exert so much conscious control over your Blodrhun your concentration would be better.**_

_The Blodrhun is to be controlled, not trusted. _Sakura corrected her Inner.

_**Are you sure? Next time you fight the hot sensei, let your instincts flow with the Blodrhun. I can control it from your subconscious while you can focus on your enemy.**_

Sakura paused in thought. _An interesting concept, Inner. It may just work. Next time we will try that._

"No need to look so unsatisfied." Hikaru's voice drew her from her thoughts. "I am quite proud of what you have been able to accomplish so far."

His green eyes glinted with satisfaction, the only indication of his mood. Sakura couldn't help but admire her sensei, the tall and lean, muscular and agile. Every movement was minimized, silent, and deadly, never without purpose. His Blodrhun was a deep, dark ruby red, as if it reflected every drop of blood of his victims. It was an extension of himself in every way, from the weapon shapes that he favored, cruel tools of slashing and hacking, swords that sliced the air itself, battle axes, greatswords, hell hse had even seen him fight with a scythe during sparring. Despite Hikaru's often callous and cruel attitude, Sakura would admit that she looked up to him. He was everything that the Haruno desired in a shinobi, everything that she should hope to be.

"I think you are ready for the Third Lesson."

Sakura sucked in a breath at his words. The final lesson in becoming a Haruno. Although she did not know what exactly it entailed, only vague explanations from Mika, Sakura knew that the Third Lesson would free her of the crippling bonds of human emotion. It was an ultimate liberty.

Hikaru smirked at the sight of Sakura's hopeful gaze. His right hand rose to touch her cheek in a gesture that from anyone else might have been affection. But this was a Haruno, and his eyes were nothing short of cold and amused.

"Such a hunger for power." He chuckled at her. "One might think you were an Uchiha."

_Red eyes._

_Hurt._

_Anger._

_Betrayal._

_Never forgive a traitor. Traitor. TRAITOR!_

"Do _not_ compare me to those retched scum!" Sakura hissed, her jade eyes darkening.

Unfazed by her outbursts, Hikaru chuckled. "Crossed an Uchiha already, hm? Sometimes I wonder if the hatred our ancestors felt towards theirs is genetic. Since the age of Ariane the Uchiha and Haruno have always clashed. They are the demons. We are the tamers."

Sakura shot her sensei a questioning look, but to her frustration he merely smirked and did not elaborate. Curious, she hadn't realized that the Haruno were old enemies of the Uchiha, let alone since before the Hidden Villages had even been born.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sakura hissed, already the pressure of suppressed memories was building in her head like a migraine, the dark presence of the Blodrhun the only thing keeping them at bay.

Hikaru shrugged. "Not that I particularly care. Come, Sakura. I must present you to Etsuyo-sama for permission to proceed to the Third Lesson."

Closing her eyes for a moment, Sakura carefully pushed away her emotions that only ever revealed themselves with the coming of those memories. Such capricious, useless little things. Hikaru was already walking towards the compound, and for a moment Sakura imagined that she had grown up here: Hikaru was her mentor, maybe even a friend, and beyond in the distance was the home she grew up in. The green grass of the training fields swayed peacefully in the breeze, the air filled with the sounds of training Haruno, shouts and instructions, and this… this was the family she had been denied.

"Are you coming, Sakura?" Hikaru paused to turn around and face her, raising an eyebrow in an insolent, somewhat childish impatience. How amusing, she often forgot just how young Hikaru was, for even among the Haruno he was a prodigy, completing his training when he was just fifteen.

"Yes, yes." Sakura sighed, jogging to his side. "Don't be so impatient." She scolded him.

Hikaru huffed. "You should show proper respect for your sensei."

"Maybe if my sensei could act a little more mature, than yes." Sakura assented as they stomped their way through the grass, the smell of spring released with each footfall. "However when it comes to you, Hikaru-_sensei_, you are either a cold bastard or an impatient child."

"You wound me, my little student." Hikaru muttered.

"I'm sure you'll get over it." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Hikaru's face smoothed out and his sharp eyes regarded her curiously, and Sakura suddenly felt like a mouse under the gaze of a cat. "Be careful," he murmured, bowing his head next to her ear, "That looked an awful lot like affection. One might think you had trouble controlling your emotions." His fingers ghosted over the back of her neck, in warning or something else she dared not contemplate.

She pulled away fast, glaring at him. Hikaru gave her his damnable smirk and resumed the path to the main house.

_He's insane. _She thought. Normally at a time like this, Inner would appear with some witty or perverted comment about their handsome (and infuriating) sensei. Sakura frowned at the absence of the other part of her mind. Inner had hardly spoken up in the recent weeks. Sakura could still feel Inner in the back of her mind, but it seemed that Inner was too busy combating the Blodrhun's presence in her head that she did not even have the strength to speak out. Sakura wasn't sure if she should be worried or not, since the Blodrhun was also a part of her now. Perhaps Inner and the Blodrhun just naturally didn't get along. Perhaps Inner was a natural resistance to the Blodrhun's persuasion to keep it from obscuring her mind completely. These thoughts swirled in her head as she followed Hikaru to the path that led down the mountain to the Haruno compound.

_{*~*~*}_

"Etsuyo-sama." Hikaru and Sakura chorused in twin murmurs, bowing deeply to their clan leader. The elder Haruno looked up from the documents in her hands, regarding them with steely jade eyes.

They were in Etsuyo's office, a plain, sterile room whose only luxuries were the plush armchair in which Etsuyo resided in at the desk and a tea set on top of one of the tables pushed against a wall. The tatami mats on the floor were clean and pristine, the windows behind Etsuyo's chair looked out upon the clan leader's private garden, and the walls were painted a warm shade of tan and decorated with traditional calligraphy paintings. Hikaru and Sakura seated themselves on two large red cushions, formally folding their legs under themselves and sitting upright with their hands placed in their laps.

Sakura took this moment to study her superior. As usual, Etsuyo's faded pink tresses were pulled up into an elaborate hairstyle, braids lining her hairline and twisted in the back and secured with jewel-encrusted chopsticks and adorned with gemmed hair clips. Today the clan leader wore a deep blue yukata, decorated with white cranes amidst flight, streaked with red and black, their eyes detailed in orange-gold. The cloth was tied together with strips and red and white cords twisted to resemble an obi. Upon her breast lay a pendant, a circle of the purest white jade, half as thick as Sakura's little finger and as wide as her first digit, the entire pendant the size of a large pebble. It was the symbol of their clan, bound to a chain by intricate gold settings.

Etsuyo hummed noncommittally in greeting, her concentration on the paper in front of her as she signed her name in ink and poured wax next to the signature to imprint her seal into it. When the paper was carefully placed on the top of a stack of its kind, she finally focused on her guests.

"So this is the one you chose." She addressed Hikaru without preamble, before turning her gaze upon Sakura. "How coincidental that Kashinu should choose your partner for her own Chosen."

"Chosen?" Sakura questioned softly, careful not to interrupt the elder Haruno.

"Only one student per sensei is nominated for the Third Lesson." Hikaru explained. Sakura nodded and wisely chose to remain silent form then on as Hikaru conversed with Etsuyo. "Sakura has shown outstanding resilience and perseverance in her training; her progress despite being an outsider can attest to this. She has an innate grasp on weapon handling, field tactics, and has a strong bond with her Blodrhun. I have reason to believe that her second mind is already manifesting itself, and so it would only be reasonable to introduce the Third Lesson as soon as possible."

Sakura tensed at his words. _Do they know about Inner?_ She wondered in worry, though flattered by her sensei's recommendation.

"Sakura-chan." At the sound of Etsuyo's voice she lifted her head to meet the woman's eyes. "Are you aware of your second mind?"

Sakura's hesitance answered that question for her. Seeing the conflict in the young girl's eyes, Etsuyo's face broke into a sinister smile. "I see you have."

"Hai, Etsuyo-sama." Sakura whispered, not trusting her voice not to crack if she spoke up. Never before had Sakura admitted the existence to anyone other than Mika. It made her feel vulnerable, revealing her most private self.

The clan leader nodded sagely and turned to Hikaru. "Then you have permission to teach her further, Hikaru-kun. Do remember not to let things get out of hand."

If Sakura had not been watching her sensei out of the corner of her eye she would have missed the mischievous glint in Hikaru's eyes, for otherwise his face was a careful slate of porcelain in the presence of their clan leader. He murmured agreement to Etsuyo before standing up and helping Sakura to her feet. They bowed low to Etsuyo one last time, waiting until her attention was once again on her paperwork before leaving her office. Silence blanketed the two Harunos as Sakura followed Hikaru out of the main house and into the compound where the path split between the student barracks and the family dwellings, which Sakura had never explored before.

Pausing at the split in the path, Hikaru turned to Sakura. "You have the rest of the day off. I suggest you eat a lot of protein and get a lot of rest before tomorrow. I will be meeting you before the sunrise at the training field farthest from the compound. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei." Sakura bowed her head respectfully.

Hikaru's chuckle made her glance up. "Etsuyo really winds you up, huh? Although I suppose only a stupid person would not be wary of that woman."

Sakura chose to remain quiet lest she say something about their clan leader that could be taken the wrong way. Hikaru chuckled again and ruffled her hair before he turned and headed into the family dwellings, leaving a scowling student behind. Sakura frowned as she fixed her hair; her eyes roving over her view of the family section, where the buildings were made to house individual families, parents raised the younger Harunos, and the active shinobi Harunos stayed in apartment-sized dwellings with one or two other roommates. From the outside it looked peaceful, like a small familial town at the base of the Yang'te mountains. However even from a distance Sakura knew that the compound would be abnormally silent, a population of emotionless warriors. Children were usually the only source of sound from the Haruno population, but even their play was muted by the suppressing air that the adults exuded.

Most of the Haruno compound was quiet, Sakura noticed as she turned the other way and headed up the mountain to the barracks. Most noise came from a background of birdsong and the wind in the trees, or the sound of battle as Haruno shinobi sparred in the nearby training fields. It would have been disconcerting to an outsider; however Sakura had long ago become used to it, and even reveled in the peaceful nature of the Haruno compound.

The barracks were where the Haruno students lived until they completed their training, beginning at the age of eight and usually 'graduating' into adulthood at sixteen. Technically a Haruno was considered an adult when they completed the Second Lesson, since not all reached the Third Lesson. Sakura knew that Mika's fellow students had already made plans to move into the family section of the Haruno compound, to live on their own and make room for incoming Haruno students. Of Hikaru's students, Jun would be joining them in that respect. Naoki planned to complete the Third Lesson, and would be the only one of their age group to stay at the barracks with Mika and Sakura until he was nominated for the Third Lesson.

Sakura's steps made soft shuffling sounds as she walked, normally silent if it weren't for the cold concrete floor of the barracks. The barracks themselves were one long building with rooms lining the main corridor. At one end was the food hall, where servants cooked large meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinners, and kept the snack bar full for those who trained during off hours. Life here was so simple; Sakura often wondered how she had survived the confusing world outside. Within the confines of the clan she had a home, she trained, she followed orders, and she would regret nothing because of the lack of emotions. The outside world was unpredictable, dangerous; people thought differently and erupted in unreasonable violence and hatred.

"Sakura."

Jade eyes met emerald green. "Mika."

"So we both got in." Mika murmured, falling into step with her partner.

Sakura let out an amused huff as they walked towards the food hall. "Guess I am not getting rid of you that easily, can I?"

And much to Sakura's surprise, the corners of Mika's mouth lifted slightly. "I can't believe I made it to the Third Lesson. I never thought I could…"

The barracks were relatively empty that no one witnessed Sakura throwing her arms around Mika's shoulders. The two kunoichi rocked with the force of Sakura's hug, Mika only taking a few seconds before returning the action.

"We did it." Mika whispered with growing disbelief.

"Hey don't celebrate yet." Sakura teased in a low voice. "Wait until we finish the Third Lesson! Then we'll be unstoppable!"

Mika gave her a small smile.

_Leaves._

_Sunshine._

_Return… Return…_

_Return to what?_

_Return to who?_

_{*~*~*}_

"The Third Lesson is to open up your second mind. It is your connection to the web of chakra that pulses through every fiber of this world. It is what allows you to focus in meditation, to refine your chakra control so finely that it is unheard of in the shinobi of the outside world. This second mind also acts as the counter control to your Blodrhun. Where the Blodrhun breeds chaos and destruction, the second mind exerts control and fortitude. A normal person would die within minutes of handling a Bldorhun, but the Haruno blood grants you endurance. Our second mind developed over generations to balance out the long term effects of holding a Blodrhun. Every Haruno has some degree of resilience against the mind persuasion of the Blodrhun, but few are able to develop their second mind into a weapon in and of itself."

Sakura and Mika sat formally before their teachers, Etsuyo speaking while Kashinu and Hikaru, who for some reason was wearing only pants, flanked her. To be chosen for the Third Lesson was an immense honor, so standing off to the sides were their relatives: Arashi and Kohi stood feet away on Sakura's left while Mika's parents stood off to her right, two unremarkable Harunos that had barely said a word since they arrived.

The girls' Blodrhuns were sitting in their sheaths upon their laps as they sat in the middle of the training field farthest from the barracks, closest to the forest and the highest field that existed on the mountain. It was a full moon, the sky was cloudless and the across the indigo sky the stars were scattered like a fine layer of crystal dust. The forest was oddly silent, as if the whole world were holding its breath for their ceremony. It was a night that the nature around them seemed to hum with wilderness, pure and untouched by humanity.

"When developed into a weapon, the second mind allows you to become one with your Blodrhun. Your very body is a weapon, an extension of the Blodrhun. Your body becomes faster and stronger. Your mind is able to process your surrounding with a glance, your eyesight and sense of smell increase." Etsuyo looked to Kashinu for the Haruno weapon master to continue.

Stepping forward, Kashinu spoke, "There are, however, drawbacks." The atmosphere seemed to tense. "Allowing your second mind to meld with your Blodrhun means that you are relinquishing your control. We become weapons, but a more appropriate term would be to say that we become beasts. The physical manifestations of the Blodrhun on our bodies turn us into half-demons, in some aspects. The demonic energy of the Blodrhun transforms your body into a creature of bloodlust and destruction. Your mental capacity is compromised by the absence of your second mind, the voice of reason inside your head that is supposed to pull you back from the whispers of the Blodrhun. You will become volatile and completely devoid of any emotion other than hunger or anger, the feelings that will feed your transformation with the Blodrhun."

Mika and Sakura were alarmed as the spectators all stepped back, with only Hikaru remaining where he was. An animalistic grin stretched languidly across his face as he withdrew his Blodrhun and held it out with his right hand. In its basic form, the red stick began to blur, and soon the Blodrhun seemed to melt and a red liquid dark and opaque like blood rose slowly away from where his hand was. The red tendrils wrapped like tentacles around his arm, twisting and swirling as they crawled up his forearm. Now Sakura understood Hikaru's lack of clothing as the red swirls expanded across his chest, one branch spitting off to cover his other arm while the rest continued to coat his body with intricate markings that swirled and curled, yet were jagged and simplistic like the tribal tattoos of Wind Country. When the blood red markings reached his neck they circled it like a noose before two sharp points rose to grace his cheekbones.

When Hikaru opened his eyes, the green of the Haruno was completely black and his grin looked more like a predator's as he bared his canines.

Sakura and Mika stared on in silent shock, their faces momentarily vulnerable as their eyes widened and a feeling that they had not felt in years fluttered in their chests: fear. Suddenly Hikaru's attitude seemed to make more sense. He was an animal; he was cruel because he saw normal humans as nothing but prey. The way he moved had always been peculiar, but now she saw that his movement suited this body much more than it did his normal body. The prowling manner that he moved in had become second nature to him, the peculiar habit he had to use the pads of his fingers to grasp objects now made sense as Sakura regarded the curve of his claws.

This transformation was truly demonic. The killer intent, the bloodlust, it pulsed off of him in smothering waves of chaos, his eyes were black and glinted green in the muted light of night. The intelligence behind those eyes was almost eclipsed by the pure beast that shone through. His muscles looked as if he were flexing ever one of them, and when he moved they literally rippled in the soft starlight. The Blodrhun was inked into his skin, it covered his body like armor, covering his legs and torso but tapering into mere tattoos as it reached his extremities, the nin pants that he had been wearing earlier were burned away by the touch of the Blodrhun.

"You like what you see?" Hikaru drawled, the laughter emanating from his chest sounding almost like a growl, his voice was rough a scratchy from the transformation.

"The Blodrhun becomes your armor as well as your weapon." Kashinu explained form behind Hikaru. "No ordinary weapon can penetrate this." She knocked her knuckles against Hikaru's chest plate, ignoring the indignant look he shot her.

The words fell into silence as everyone watched Sakura and Mika's reaction. The two girls slowly turned to glance at each other, their minds connecting. They shared mutual feelings of fear and wonder with each other, drawing comfort and encouragement from one another as they simultaneously stood up.

"So when do we begin?" Mika asked.

A slow smile appeared on Etsuyo's face. "Mika, you go with Hikaru. Sakura, come with me and Kashinu."

The two girls hesitated for a second, glancing at each other. The opposite teacher? Shouldn't Sakura stay with Hikaru? And Mika with Kashinu? However they had no power to question Etsuyo, and so remaining silent, they followed orders. Mika's face was impassive as she walked over to where the transformed Hikaru stood, however Sakura could feel through their mind connection that her partner was nervous and tensed. She sent encouraging feelings through their bond before focusing on the two female Haruno before them. Etsuyo and Kashinu did not say anything as they took Sakura to the opposite side of the field from where Hikaru had taken Mika.

"Take out your Blodrhun." Etsuyo commanded. "And let down all mental defenses."

With the Blodrhun in her hand, Sakura followed Etsuyo's instruction as she allowed the dark presence of the Blodrhun to slither into her mind. The darkness of the weapon seemed to pour into her until she thought her head would overflow. Never before had she allowed the Blodrhun to pervade her mind so thoroughly. Inner Sakura did not put up a fight to keep Sakura's sanity in check, and as a result Sakura quickly felt her self-awareness deteriorate. Her world consisted only of the Blodrhun and the images of hell that in conjured within her mind.

"Sakura"

Its whispers were like smoke, black and obscured, shifting the world before her senses could detect it, embracing her mind in a lustful haze. Promises of power entwined her thoughts, greed of authority; they would be unstoppable, fierce, superior! All would tremble in her wake, cower under her shadow, and fear her name! Sakura felt a grin stretch her facial muscles, a bestial urge to rip flesh, taste blood, snap bones, and break, break, break any who stood in her way. She was superior. She was evolution. She was perfection.

"Sakura."

This world was her battlefield. Its inhabitants were prey and she was the ultimate predator. Rip, tear, grind, destroy, create chaos! How blissfully ignorant were the people of this world to forget the name Haruno. Lulled into a sense of security by their precious hidden villages! How easily time forgets with each generation. There was a time that the hidden villages were impossible because the clans refused alliance. There was a time that every clan feared one name: Haruno. Doomed are they who forget the old enemy whose body is never found. Oh but their fear would be priceless! They would be completely unprepared, vulnerable, defenseless against her weapon! Those who had once fought against the Harunos were now long dead, and in their foolishness they erased all record of the Haruno. How would the poor little ninja fight against an enemy without any defense against the ultimate infernal weapon? A tragedy indeed!

"_Sakura" _Etsuyo's voice.

Was that insufferable hag incapable of silence? She was interrupting quality world domination plotting. The Blodrhun's velvet song crooned in Sakura's head. The joy of reawakening the infernal war! This mortal realm would be consumed in blood and fire, torn and ravaged, and she would be triumphant! Bathed in the blood of such inferior, weak creatures, she would put them in their place! How insolent of these retched humans to forget that they were once prey, ants at the feet of gods!

"_Sakura" Etsuyo's voice rang in her head, clanging and jarring the melody of the Blodrhun's song "You're doing wonderfully! Embrace the darkness! Let the bloodlust spread through your soul, let the taint grow!"_

_Sakura looked up in confusion as a beautiful young woman appeared before her. The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. "Who are you? This is my mind!"_

_The woman gave her a familiar smirk, cold and cruel, pale pink tresses flowing freely around her shoulders, falling down her back in a long waterfall of silk. She wore a white kimono, whose layers floated around her in a mystical manner, her body poised in a regal manner. Power exuded from the woman with a steady, intimidating flow. Her face was oval and smooth, high cheekbones and plump lips, her eyes curving in a feline manner. Jade clashed with jade._

"_Etsuyo-sama?" Sakura asked slowly, almost disbelieving._

_The young woman chuckled. "Indeed. We are in your mindscape, after all. Here I appear as how I imagine myself, which is my body in its prime."_

_Sakura looked down at herself, surprised to find that she was in her full ninja armor and a mask was hanging on her belt. It would seem that in her mind she was in full shinobi regalia. "Why are you here, Etsuyo-sama?"_

_Etsuyo drifted forward, her eyes lazily glancing at their surroundings. Sakura's mindscape was an endless sea of crimson, no ceiling or floor, yet somehow appearing to have depth. Small, soft white lights floated around, most of them swirling into double helix columns that stretched into infinity, while a few drifted in the in-between. As Sakura peered closer at them, she realized that there were memories within each. Some contained images, memories of eyesight, others were dark but contained music, memories of sound, and some contained smells, touch, and thoughts. It was the most fascinating thing that she had encountered as a Haruno yet._

"_Sakura," Etsuyo began as she slowly reached out to pluck a floating orb from the air, glancing at the memory within it before tossing it back into the flow. "I do believe there should be two of you."_

_Sakura tensed and glared at Etsuyo. "What –"_

"_Oh don't play the fool." Etsuyo cut her off. The look the elder Haruno shot her warned her that even if this was her mind, Sakura was expected to obey._

_Closing her mouth, Sakura closed her eyes briefly before the mindscape shifted and flickered next to her before a second Sakura appeared._

_Inner Sakura opened her eyes and glanced down at the manifestation of her body. In contrast to Sakura, Inner Sakura was dressed in training clothes, a red shirt with the family crest, black ninja tights, and nin-sandals, although her mental self was still in black and white. The kanji for 'inner self' was still displayed on her forehead._

_Etsuyo regarded them with an impressed look in her eyes. "Your second mind is indeed fully realized. How rare."_

"_**So you are the one who has been knocking at the door for the past few weeks." Inner drawled, clearly not interested in showing the same reverence towards Etsuyo as the real Sakura.**_

_Sakura glanced at her Inner in surprise. "She's been invading my mind?"_

_**Inner shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle."**_

"_Indeed." Etsuyo chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Inner's lack of formality. "When I first touched your mind, Sakura, I realized that your defenses were quite a bit stronger than a young Haruno's mind normally is. As I kept testing your defenses, I stumbled upon your little 'Inner self' here. I am quite impressed."_

_Somehow, that did not comfort Sakura in the least._

"_So why are we meeting here?" Sakura asked Etsuyo._

_A slow, dangerous smirk lighted up the young Etsuyo's dark gaze and Sakura felt dread approaching. And to her surprise, Inner Sakura stepped forward towards Etsuyo, her clothing shifting into a shinobi uniform similar to the real Sakura's mental image, but having a closer resemblance to an ANBU uniform._

_Sakura's gaze dropped to the image of the Blodrhun in Inner's hand._

"_Inner, what are you doing?"_

_**Inner smirked evilly at her, sneering. The look of malice looked wrong on Sakura's face, never before had Sakura's likeness displayed such cruelty. "I'm afraid, dear Sakura, that you have it all wrong."**_

"_What do you mean?" Sakura demanded while trying to grab Inner, but she felt her limbs lock up on her and her eyes whipped to look at her frozen body as black smoke wrapped around them and solidified into chains._

"_**These past few weeks I have been busy talking with Etsuyo-sama here." Inner drawled as Etsuyo placed her hand on Inner's shoulder and the image of Inner began to gain color. "You see, I am the inner strength that you had always suppressed, Sakura. Not because you were stronger, but because I allowed you, thinking that you would one day grow into a stronger character."**_

_Sakura gasped as the color from her image began to fade away._

"_**However Etsuyo has provided a different route for me." Inner continued, ignoring Sakura's struggles. "I was always the stronger in mind and spirit. It is I who enable you to control the Blodrhun's influence. But why allow myself to be used by the weaker half?"**_

_Etsuyo chuckled; her cruel jade eyes alight with malicious glee._

"_**Etsuyo-sama and I made a deal, then." Inner smiled as the kanji for 'inner self' faded from her forehead. "She needs a spy within Konoha. Plus she needs a strong and dedicated successor to the Haruno clan. How could I refuse? It's not like I have any emotional ties to the village, since it was you who made them. My loyalty is to the one who freed me."**_

_Etsuyo's hand cradled Inner's face approvingly._

_Sakura gasped as her forehead began to burn._

"_**So you see, **_**Sakura**_**, you have it all wrong." She smirked as the chains began to drag the other half down into the dark abyss of their mindscape.**_

"_**You are now the Inner."**_

**BOOM.**

**Read & Review!**

**Lots O' Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	10. Chapter 9: The Rope

**Ugh I am so done with people. I can't even comment on Youtube or leave a review to an FF story without people somehow being insulted by my opinion or just being rude. Humanity is just one big bitch.**

**Sorry.**

**On with the story.**

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO.**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Nine: The Rope<em>

_Fools are like marionettes._

_It is so easy to make them dance to your tune._

_Twist their strings until they scream._

_Strangle them._

_I am the monster you feared._

_I am the monster you adored._

_{*~*~*}_

_Until your heartbeat hurts no more  
>Until your feet lift off the floor<br>Until they get the best of you  
>You must keep on climbing through<em>

_The rope is long_  
><em>There's no turning back<em>  
><em>But the rope is strong<em>  
><em>So never look back<em>

_Until your heartbeat hurts no more  
>Until you feel no pain at all<em>

_The rope is long  
>But the rope is strong<em>

_{*~*~*}_

Everything was dark.

She was in a large bird cage, bars of cold steel rising up above her head with no door in sight. There was no light, no sounds, or smells, or touch or taste. I was an existence of not existing. She was thought, presence, but she had no body or physical awareness. It was a sickening life, but sometimes her own individual-self blurred so much that she felt nothing but apathy.

And it scared her.

She could see through the eyes of her body, but her movements, her words, even her thoughts were not her own. She was trapped, unable to cry out because she was imprisoned within her own mind, chained and gagged, devoid of influence. Suppressed so thoroughly her mind was beginning to melt into the collective of the mindscape, drowning into nothing.

She was fading. Fast.

_Please… Help… I'm… Lost…_

_{*~*~*}_

Sakura opened her eyes and smirked at Etsuyo. "Hello, oba-sama."

Kashinu regarded them both warily. "Did it work, Etsuyo-sama?"

The trio stood just within the line of trees, shadowed but sparse in undergrowth. Sakura was kneeling respectfully before their clan leader, one knee bent, head slightly tilted downward to shadow the look on her face ominously. Etsuyo gently placed her hand under Sakura's chin, tilting it upwards. The girl's eyes were the same jade hue as before, but now they seemed colder, harsher, calculating.

"I am Sakura now." Her voice was clear and hard, with a slight edge of arrogance. It was amazing how different the same voice could sound with a different soul in place. "The original mind has been detained to the point of silence."

Kashinu sucked in a breath. "A second mind has replaced the first! How… Unprecedented. I've never heard of such a thing."

"You are truly unique, my child." Etsuyo said softly, her voice like sandpaper. "Now, Kashinu, let us proceed with the Third Lesson."

Etsuyo walked away to observe from afar as the weapons trainer helped Sakura to her feet. "Take out your Blodrhun and repeat the process from before. But instead of just opening your mind, channel its darkness onto yourself."

_Easy. _The first mind had been hesitant to use the full force of the Blodrhun. She had been limited by her emotions; though try as she had to get rid of them. Konoha's foolish teachings had made her vulnerable to its persuasions. But this Sakura was not so weak. Her hold over the Blodrhun was harsh and unforgiving as she forced it to acknowledge her as its absolute master.

Then, it cracked.

The hard surface of the Blodrhun gave under the weight of her command, and a warmth like blood poured out. The dark red substance felt like velvet as it first encircled her right wrist, then her arm, and finally her full body was cloaked in its song, humming though her blackened veins like fire. She opened her blackened eyes, flashing green in the light, and gave a feral grin.

Etsuyo and Kashinu looked on in pride, the latter also slightly wary. "Stunning." Etsuyo purred. "My dear Sakura, you will make our ancestors proud."

_{*~*~*}_

She was pretty sure Mika could tell the difference. Though the quiet redhead never said anything, with words or accusing looks, it was clear by how the two young Harunos interacted. Mika's behavior towards her became strictly business, their minds touching only when they fought side by side, although after so much time together it was hardly necessary to predict the other's moves. Words were exchanged only when necessary. That is not to say that Sakura felt any hostility towards her partner. In fact she was just as fond of Mika as the original Sakura had been. The new Sakura appreciated how Mika embraced the Haruno training, and respected the bond that they shared. Now that this new Sakura no longer fought to suppress her emotions, she and Mika were flawless shinobi. Etsuyo threw mission after mission at them and they completed them without a hitch. The memories that once resisted their suppression were banished for good. She could kill without those annoying flashbacks.

Being back on the mission roster meant that the two Harunos were allowed to shed their training garb and don their individual mission outfits. Sakura and Mika were back to wearing knee-high boots and biker shorts with leggings. The first wore a black band around her breast while Mika wore a deep maroon band, both donning fish-net shirts overtop. The only article of clothing that wasn't black on Sakura was the dark maroon scarf which hid the bottom half of her face, the Haruno crest displayed upon its tail end. Mika had gotten new gloves, fingerless and extending just past her elbows, with thin metal cuffs from the wrist to elbow for blocking. And of course, they had weapons hidden in every nook and cranny of their outfits.

"Wait."

Sakura sensed them right as Mika had spoken. Two ninja, extremely powerful ones at that. They glanced at each other before tamping down their chakra signatures down to nothing, bodies pressing back against the bark of the trees. They were low on chakra, both from having just completed a mission and traveling all night. The sun had not even begun to rise, though the moon had already bid her goodbyes. The slightly brightened sky was the only source of light, meaning that the shadows swallowed them completely. Despite their emotional absence, both sucked in a breath at the sight of the two ninja which came into view.

Black cloaks and red clouds.

Even if the organization from which they hailed from had yet to make any major moves to draw attention from the Hidden Villages, the underground black markets were abuzz about this rising terrorist cell, the Akatsuki. No one knew who they were, where they were based, or how many there were. The mystery surrounding their name only instilled more fear.

And though both Harunos would have loved to test their blades against such powerful opponents, they knew it would not be wise to engage them at half power. So they waited patiently for the two cloaked figures who were walking at an agonizingly slow pace. A still silence surrounded the duo, as if the air itself knew how dangerous they were. Only the slight jingle of the bell upon their rice hats made any noise.

The shorter figure was lean from what Sakura could tell, and walked slightly ahead of the other one in a manner that told her that he was likely the more powerful one. The second figure towered over the first; he would have dwarfed any normal person in fact. She would guess that he was six foot at least, broad and, if the gigantic gauze-wrapped weapon strapped to his back was any indication, physically very strong. As the two began to pass their hiding place, the larger Akatsuki member paused and lifted his head, though not enough to show his face from beneath his hat. Sakura heard him sniff the air.

"Ignore them." The first, shorter figure spoke from ahead, a soft male voice holding authority. Sakura felt Mika tense through their mind bond and she echoed Mika's sentiment. How had they been discovered? Their chakra control meant that no one should have been able to sense them.

"I haven't killed in too long." The large man spoke, his voice deep and rough." "Sameheda is getting hungry."

Both Sakura and Mika wracked their brains at the name, knowing it was familiar but not finding the answer, all the while tensing to run away if the Akatsuki attacked. The barest nod from the shorter member was their only warning before they threw themselves off the trees they were hiding in, wood splinters flying everywhere as the trees they had been perched in tumbled.

_Crash!_

They could barely see the movements of the large cloaked figure before his weapon would crash down upon them. Mika and Sakura dodged with all the speed and agility they could muster, bouncing from branch to branch like pink and red birds. Sakura's ponytail whipped her in the face as she flew, relying on her instincts more than actual sight as she dodged the large Akatsuki and his weapon. She couldn't help but gasp as she miscalculated and all she could see was the white of gauze strips as the weapon swung down at her.

_Smash!_

Mika intercepted the weapon, pushing Sakura out of the way. Her Blodrhun was morphed into a broadsword, gleaming a blood red and holding strong against the Akatsuki weapon. She held the weapon above her head with an ease that betrayed her petite body, withstanding the blow from the man twice her size. Mika jerked back as the Akatsuki's weapon began to clack and snap, scales beginning to protrude from within its white strips as it tried to suck chakra from the Blodrhun.

And then the weapon _screamed_.

The large nuke-nin cursed and leapt away from the two Harunos, landing beside his partner, who had yet to make a move. "What the fuck did your sword do to Sameheda?!" He growled; the weapon in question still shuddering from its encounter with the Blodrhun.

"What happened?" Sakura whispered lowly beside Mika, not removing her gaze from the two Akatsuki.

She heard Mika snort. "I do believe that 'Sameheda' thing steals chakra."

A wry grin threatened to appear on Sakura's face. Blodrhun chakra was like demon chakra, poisonous and harmful. There was a reason why it turned one's veins black. Through her mind bond with Mika, Sakura could hear Mika's Blodrhun singing with dark satisfaction.

Seemingly angered by their lack of response, the large Akatsuki member leapt at them again. Sakura and Mika split apart as the branch they had been standing on was cut in two. The larger Akatsuki member turned and went after Mika. Sakura turned to face the second nuke-nin.

She heard a sigh from beneath his hat. His fingers appeared from a sleeve and twitched, and she could see the air around his fingers fluctuate in a way that told her he was using chakra. As the feeling of a genjustu fell over her senses, Sakura allowed her Blodrhun to rise up in her mind and push the persuasion away with ease. The Akatsuki member across from her stilled.

"Didn't expect me to see that coming did you?" Sakura murmured, amused.

Slowly the Akatsuki member raised his arm to dispose of his rice hat, revealing a surprisingly young shinobi. Sakura narrowed her eyes at his features, ebony-black hair pulled into a ponytail, pale, gaunt face, and finally, red eyes. He was familiar. Too familiar.

"You are... Uchiha." She hissed.

To her surprise, the missing-nin also narrowed his eyes. "Pink hair… you were my otouto's teammate, were you not?"

Sakura scoffed from behind her scarf but did not answer.

His red eyes slid to the clan insignia on her scarf. "A Haruno. I have heard many rumors regarding your clan since I defected."

Sakura chuckled. "And Konoha is none the wiser. The fools."

"You are a traitor then?" Something about the way he said it, despite his monotone, alerted her that he was judging her, threatening her.

"Not yet." Unsheathing her Blodrhun, Sakura watched as the Uchiha's eyes regarded it curiously as it morphed into a katana. Her jade eyes glinted tauntingly.

He didn't seem to like her answer. Sakura barely managed to dodge the Uchiha's movements; his speed was faster than anyone she had ever faced before. She took more hits than misses, though she was proud for even keeping pace with one of the legendary Uchiha. But she knew that this man was legendary even among his own kind, his name inspiring fear in even S-class criminals.

The Blodrhun provided her with some level of immunity to the Uchiha's Sharingan, as long as she did not look directly into his eyes for too long. Frustratingly she slashed and hacked at him; careful to keep the form Hikaru and Kashinu had drilled into her head. Still he avoided her hits like it was child's play. The Uchiha leaned out of her sword's path and delivered a blow to her ribs. Sakura gasped as she was sent backwards into the trees, feeling her bones collapse and something pierced her lung. She screamed and the Blodrhun answered her call.

The Akatsuki member did not give her time to recover and was about to deliver a killing blow when Sakura morphed her Blodrhun into a whip, consciously guiding it to snap at the Uchiha, chasing him away from her prone form. Struggling to her feet, one hand braced against a tree while she spat out too much blood, Sakura snapped her whip up. The end soured through the air, and predicting its movements, the Uchiha dodged. But he did not expect the whip to suddenly bend in mid-air, and like a snake, lash out sideways at him. The red whip was coated in blood as it entered his torso and out his back, withdrawing faster than he could grasp it.

Sakura winced as she pushed off the tree, her torso throbbing and blood bubbling up from her chest. The only thing that kept her conscious and moving was the constant throbbing pain of the Blodrhun, its presence in her mind bolstering her mental strength to keep fighting, it fire running through her veins, refusing to die here.

She was no match for him, and Sakura could only pray that Mika could disable the other Akatsuki member soon so that they could run. She couldn't risk evolving with her Blodrhun, the clan secrets more important than her life. And this Uchiha was clearly out to kill her.

Meanwhile, Mika was actually quite amused in her fight against the large Akatsuki member. Though the Blodrhun was her only advantage against the larger man, it was a great one. This missing-nin was no doubt more powerful than her, and might have easily killed her if it wasn't for the fact that his Sameheda was a vulnerability, not that he knew. The chakra-absorbing nature of the weapon would be his downfall if he kept attempting to defeat her Blodrhun with it.

Their broadswords clashed back and forth, the man growling obscenities at her and wondering why his sword reacted so violently to the kunoichi's sword. As the Akatsuki member swung his sword in a large arc, Mika ducked down and then leapt back up fast enough to punch him across the face, sending his rice hat down into the forest below. She made the mistake of staring at the blue skin and beady eyes that stared back, and the wind was knocked out of her as the missing-nin kicked her in the stomach.

Mika let out a strangled groan as her back slammed into a tree, rolling off its branches just in time to avoid being cut in half by the Sameheda. She landed clumsily on a branch below and barely had time to black another blow from the sword. As the Blodrhun and Sameheda collided once more, she pushed the demonic darkness of her weapon into the greedy suction of Sameheda. It was akin to pouring acid down a person's throat, and the weapon of the large Akatsuki member screamed louder than ever, scales shuddering and clacking in violent agitation, but Mika kept pushing and pushing until even the owner of the Sameheda could feel the dark chakra that his weapon was being forced to consume.

The large blue Akatsuki member cursed and tried to pull away but he found that he couldn't move. Glancing down he saw the veins of the hand gripping Sameheda had turned a sickly black, the darkness quickly traveling up his arm. "What… What are you… Doing…" he ground out, his jaw clenching as unimaginable pain lanced through his arm and into his chest.

Jade eyes flickered black as Mika gave a small smirk at him. "I am Haruno." She whispered before her broadsword was suddenly gone and the Akatsuki member felt a burst of pain at the base of his neck, Mika's Blodrhun pressed against his skin which began to blister and burn. The man gave a wounded cry as a demonic darkness invaded his mind, curling like fire through his veins, a pain so violent that he was rendered paralyzed and his whole body began to shudder.

"Mika!"

The redhead snapped her gaze up from her victim to see a wounded Sakura running towards her, an alarming amount of blood staining her scarf. "The other one is an Uchiha. We need to go now!"

Without hesitation Mika fell in step behind Sakura. Glancing back she saw the red-eyed Akatsuki member approach his partner, easily picking up the larger ninja and slinging him over his shoulder. The feeling of the Uchiha's cold eyes burned in their backs as they retreated, running as fast as possible in a random direction as long as it was far away. Sakura collapsed as the sun began to rise, and Mika wordlessly picked her up and kept running, knowing that the Akatsuki were still too close for comfort.

_{*~*~*}_

Sakura awoke in a bed. She blinked, confused as to where she was. The room was traditional, wood panel flooring and sliding rice-paper doors. A window to her right looked out upon a deserted street, mist riding low on the ground and pale morning light filtering in through hazy clouds. Birdsong was distant and the only sound, the air was crisp in a way that told her she was in the mountains. With a bit of a struggle, Sakura sat up, looking down at the bandages adorning her arms and torso, a dull ache revealing itself in her chest as breathing became a laborious task. She coughed and small spatters of blood flew out onto the gray blankets and white gauze. Her arms stung where the cuts were; most likely the gauze had been soaked in antiseptic.

She heard the door slide open and looked up to see Mika walk in. "I got us back to the Yang'te mountains." Mika immediately explained, "We are in the Haruno village."

The redhead helped Sakura stand and supported her as she hobbled over to the window, looking out. The road did not seem to deserted now, for upon closer inspection Sakura could see footprints in the dirt, and when she concentrated, she heard faint voices coming from the nearby houses. It was morning, no wonder no one was out yet.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"Just a day." Mika answered. "If that Uchiha meant to kill you by having you drown in your own blood, he almost succeeded. Three ribs punctured your right lung, almost collapsing it."

Sakura winced, her hand moving to touch the stiff wraps around her torso. "Ouch."

"Agreed." Mika replied wryly before switching topics. "Etsuyo-sama is furious. Not at us, of course, but at the people who attacked us. I give it a week before the entire black market is abuzz with the news of how the Akatsuki have angered the Haruno clan."

"Will there be war?" Sakura asked.

"No, probably not." Mika shook her head and began to guide Sakura back to her bed. "The clan already has a few plans in the works; we don't have time to fight the Akatsuki. It would be a waste of manpower and time. That's not to say that the Haruno members will not kill an Akatsuki member if they ever cross paths, however."

Sakura hummed in agreement. _There will always be someone more powerful. I must not forget this._

The two young girls looked up as they heard the shuffling of feet, and the door slid open to reveal a middle-aged Haruno with white hair pulled into a bun, wrinkles on her face, and dull green eyes. She was wearing a plain gray yukata and sandals, a box of medicine supplies in her hands.

"Ah, she is awake." The old Haruno spoke. "Mika-san, if you would please step aside."

Mika complied as the white-haired woman knelt next to Sakura, beginning to measure medicine and checking the gauze Sakura was wrapped in.

"I am Haruno Mayumi, the clan head medic." The woman introduced herself as she handed Sakura three pills and a glass of water. The pinkette wordlessly took the medicine, drinking the whole glass of water and feeling slightly more refreshed. "There are two others who run our little hospital, my apprentices Haruno Emi and Haruno Haruto. If you need anything and I am not around, go to them."

The older Haruno leaned back on her heels and gave Sakura one more once-over. "I'm sure you are aware of the healing process for your injuries so I won't bother to explain. I used chakra to heal your body but it will still be weak for another few weeks. Go easy on your body for a month or so. I don't want to see you back in here again for training before you were fully healed."

"Hai." Sakura murmured. The woman gave a sharp nod and left the room with her supplies. The pinkette frowned at the thought of being unable to train.

"Well it's not like we had any more upcoming missions." Mika sighed.

Sakura glanced up at her with a questioning glance.

"We are being taken off the mission roster." Mika explained, sitting back down next to Sakura. "Etsuyo was planning on sending us on a top-secret mission, giving us a few weeks of rest and training before we leave. So consider this your vacation."

Sakura sighed. "I suppose Etsuyo-sama wanted to speak to us once I awoke."

Mika nodded. "That can wait until after you take another nap. You still aren't focused enough to speak with her anyway."

_{*~*~*}_

When Sakura awoke again, she could hear the bustling of the clan outside. She had never been in the heart of the Haruno compound before, usually confined to the training grounds in the mountains above. In the valley of the Yang'te Mountains the Haruno compound was nestled like a haven from the outside world. The clan had fled there after their banishment from Konoha, hiding their existence from the world until they had rebuilt their numbers enough to work on the black market as a mercenary group. Sakura dressed in the gray yukata and sandals she found placed near her bed for when she awoke, retrieved her Blodrhun from the nightstand, and stealthily slipped out of the house.

Standing on the porch, Sakura watch in something like fascination as her relatives walked to and fro. Though their faces were mostly impassive, her time with the Harunos had allowed her to learn how to notice their subtle emotions. Two Haruno women, one a redhead and another with magenta hair, were gossiping in bland tones that only Harunos could pull off. A few children ran by playing tag, their expression more open than their adult counterparts. A young man with a messy scarlet braid leaned in to whisper to a young woman with pink and white hair, who gave him an amused look. They really were not that different than ordinary villages, just with the emotional capacity of the Hyuuga clan. About half of the Harunos that Sakura saw walking about had Blodrhuns sheathed to their belts or thighs. The rest of the population had different tasks other than fighting: farming, weaving, healing, etc.

A strange feeling rose in Sakura's chest as she stepped off the porch and onto the road, walking in a random direction. The other Harunos glanced at her with veiled curiosity. Many dismissed her once they recognized her colorings as their own; others were momentarily confused as to why they did not recognize her face. She received polite nods and 'hellos', two people recognizing her as Arashi's niece and asking about his well-being.

"There you are." Sakura turned around to see Mika approaching her. "It's time to go speak with Etsuyo-sama."

Sakura nodded and they took to the rooftops. They arrived at the main house moments later, Sakura feeling naked without her battle gear on. Mika led them into the main hall, where a large meal had been laid out for eight people. Mika and Sakura took two of the seats, Etsuyo was sitting at the head of the table, and the five members of the Elder Council were seated on either side of them.

"Etsuyo-sama." Both Sakura and Mika murmured, bowing their heads to the ground, and turning to the members of the Council and repeating the greeting.

"Welcome my daughters." Etsuyo greeted, dressed in an emerald green kimono with gold and red decorations, her hair twisted into braided buns on either side of her head. The Council remained silent as she spoke.

"As we are all aware, Sakura and Mika here encountered the organization known as the Akatsuki while on their last mission. We are lucky that they came home alive. While I am concerned as to what these terrorists might be planning, it is not our immediate concern. However Sakura and Mika's fight against the Akatsuki has proven their strength, and for this reason I believe it is time to begin the first phase of our plans."

As Etsuyo concluded her speech the Council members burst into murmurs, turning to each other and to her as whispers flew across the table. Mika ignored them and began to dig into the meal, glancing at Sakura to let her know to do the same. Council meetings were notoriously long and boring, no matter what village or family one belonged to. Sakura followed Mika's lead and tuned out the chatter of old Harunos. The meeting lasted for nearly an hour before Etsuyo finally called for their attention.

"Mika. Sakura." Etsuyo's voice rang above the din of the Elders, causing everyone to go quiet.

Having already finished their meals, Sakura and Mika looked up. "Yes, Etsuyo-sama?"

"It has been decided. Mika, you will be infiltrating the Akatsuki. And Sakura, it is time that you returned to Konoha."

…

…

…

Something inside her head howled, but Sakura ignored it as she bowed forward. "I am at your command, Etsuyo-sama."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, another kick-ass chapter completed!<strong>

**IMPORTANT QUESTION: Do you want to see more of Mika once she leaves to infiltrate the Akatsuki?**

**I don't normally like OCs, but Mika's character just kinda grew with the story. Originally she wasn't supposed to be very important to the plot, but the story began to write itself and I couldn't stop it. If you guys say yes, part of the story will be told from her point of view (though most of it will still be Sakura POV).**

**So we are almost back to Konoha. Yay! Once this story comes full-circle with the Prologue, I will start telling the story from other POVs as well (but still mostly from Sakura POV).**

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**Lots 'O Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	11. Chapter 10: Fade

**OMG I am so excited for where this story is going you have nooo idea!**

**STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES.**

* * *

><p><em><span>Chapter Ten: Fade<span>_

_Home._

_To some it is a place._

_To others it is the people whom they love._

_It is the warmth of love and friendship._

_The place one grew up and spent their innocence._

_Home._

_I have none._

_This meaning has faded._

_I am a tool of destruction._

_My master's weapon._

_There is no home._

_{*~*~*}_

_We probably shouldn't talk,  
>'cause talking leads to thinking and<br>eyes wide open blank in the dark._

_We probably shouldn't think,_  
><em>'cause thinking leads to questioning and<em>  
><em>circles you right back to the start<em>

_If we don't leave now, we will break,  
>We will falter, we will fade.<br>If we don't leave now, we will harm,  
>We'll regret what we've done to ourselves<em>

_{*~*~*}_

"_Your blood is Haruno. You are Haruno. Do not forget your allegiance."_

"_I won't, oba-sama."_

"_You know what to do."_

It was almost surreal to feel nothing but emptiness as Sakura approached the gates of Konohagakure. For the first time in three and a half years, she allowed the memories to the forefront of her mind, reliving them in her mind's eye the whole trek to Konoha. Memories of people and places, feelings and thoughts drifted through her head like stray thoughts, no longer holding the strength that they once did. The girl who had been Sakura of Konoha and the Sakura of the Haruno Clan were two completely separate people now. But the new Sakura was a true shinobi, a master of the arts of deception. Like slipping on an old familiar mask, her disguise settle over her like a second skin. Flawless.

A grin stretched across her face as she approached the gate, and Sakura almost winced at the unfamiliarity of it, the muscles of her mouth protesting at the alien expression. "Izumo! Kotetsu!"

The guards at the gate snapped their heads up at the voice they had not heard in so long. "Sakura!" They both greeted her in unison, eyeing her new outfit. Though Sakura had slipped back into her Konoha persona, she had kept her Haruno mission outfit, giving Anko a run for her money on sexiest kunoichi. Her red scarf was pulled down to reveal her face, and her Blodrhun was hidden within her backpack which carried her traveling necessities.

Much to her amusement, the guards began to blush at the tight leggings and fish net of her outfit. Sakura winked playfully at them as she walked passed and through the gates of Konoha. She was pretty sure she heard Izumo and Kotetsu arguing 'dibs' behind her as she continued on. The faces of villagers around her shifted from confusion to recognition and welcome as she walked through the streets, and greetings were soon rising up around her. Ninja on the rooftops paused at the sight of pink hair, most throwing her a wave or two, but a few taking the time to come down and greet her. One in particular.

"FOREHEAD!"

Haruno instincts made her dodge the incoming projectile before she even remembered that voice. Sakura looked down at the platinum blonde sprawled indignantly on the street, her bangs falling over her eyes. Sakura giggled. "Nice try, Pig."

"Get back here you baka!" Ino laughed as she propelled herself off the ground and engulfed Sakura in a monster hug. "Where the hell have you been?! Goddammit, why the hell did I get no fucking 'goodbye'?! I, of all people, deserve your warning before you decide to disappear for three years! Almost four! You better not have had your sixteenth birthday without me!"

Sakura was choking blue from lack of air when another voice entered the fray. "Ino, you're killing her."

Shikamaru's eyes shimmered with amusement as he literally peeled the blonde off of Sakura. "Welcome back, Haruno."

The pinkette shot him a watery smile as she caught her breath, clearing her throat before returning his greeting. "Hey Shikamaru! It's good to see both of you again! And I'm sorry, Pig, I was barely given any time to pack my things let alone say any goodbyes. However, I did not celebrate my birthday, since I figured you would want to do that when I get back."

Ino gasped, her eyes sparkling dramatically. "Yes! I am totally combining a Sweet 16 and Welcome Home party!"

"Alright, alright." Shikamaru sighed, dragging Ino down from her cloud nine. "Before you start getting any ideas, please remember that we do have a mission to go on."

Ino pouted.

"Where is Choji, anyway?" Sakura asked.

"Right behind you, actually." The words were followed by the sound of something crunching, and Sakura twirled around to see the large shinobi smiling at her from around whatever it was that he had just eaten, his cheeks rounded with food.

After Team Ten left for their mission, practically dragging Ino out by her ponytail, Sakura continued her trek to the Hokage tower. A soft smile appeared on her face as she greeted the countless villages that remembered her. The welcoming increased as she entered the Hokage tower, more ninja than villagers recognizing her. As she opened the door to the Hokage's office, there was an excited squeal, and this time Sakura didn't bother to dodge the embrace aimed her way.

"Shizune." Sakura smiled at the familiar raven strands poking her cheek and patted the woman's back. Tonton oinked in resentment at being dropped by the Hokage's assistant. "It's good to see you too, Tonton."

"Give the girl room to breathe, Shizune." A gruff female voice spoke up from the desk. Shizune pulled back, beaming at Sakura, before picking her pig back up and going to stand by Tsunade's side. The blonde Hokage had not aged a day, her hazel eyes regarding Sakura with careful scrutiny.

Sakura smiled at the old kunoichi. "I'm home, Tsunade-Shisou!"

Tsunade smiled softly at Sakura and beckoned her to take a seat in front of the desk, to which the pinkette complied. "How was training with your clan?"

Sakura dropped her backpack to the floor to lean against the chair's leg. "Wow, where do I begin? Well first, they were appalled by my emotional vulnerability."

Tsunade's lips quirked at that.

"So we worked on controlling my emotions a bit, though I vow never to be a stick-up-the-ass like Neji or Sai." The three women chuckled at that before Sakura continued, "But I can keep my calm better under stressful situations and I would like to think that I've matured. We worked on several secret clan techniques, which unfortunately I am not allowed to tell you about. I perfected my chakra control though! And you should have seen my physical training regime; you would have been proud, Shisou! I swear the first year all they had me do was training, training, training!"

Tsunade and Shizune smiled as Sakura talked excitedly about her years among the Haruno Clan. To them, the clan sounded like a normal shinobi clan, training their children in family jutsu and chakra and emotional control. It was not unheard of that some clans refuse to join with a Hidden Village, instead either finding their own place to settle or living like nomads.

"So, Sakura, do you think you're ready for the Chunnin Exams?" Tsunade suddenly asked.

The light flashed ominously across Sakura's eyes before a surprised and excited expression settled on her face. "Oh wow! I totally forgot that this was one of those years! Yes, I am totally ready!"

"I'm glad to hear it." Tsunade said while nodding her head. "You may choose either Team Ten or Team Gai to be you team in upcoming the Chunnin Exams, which will be held in Suna three months from now."

Sakura started in surprise. "But they already have three people."

Tsunade winked at her. "Neji and Shikamaru are Jounin now."

"What?!" Sakura gasped, momentarily slipping out of her chair comically, causing Shizune to chuckle. Well, she wasn't actually that surprised if she thought about it. Everyone knew Neji was a prodigy, of course, intelligent, strong, a natural leader. Shikamaru was a genius beyond any seen in recent generations, though it was his lack of determination that made it a surprise that he was now one of the leading figures of their generation. "Wow."

Tsunade nodded. "So what team will you have?"

Sakura tilted her head down so that the shadows covered her face as she thought. The choice was easy, actually. Team Gai. While Team Ten was strong, it was not as strong as Team Gai. And a Haruno liked power. The biggest drawback of Team Ten was Ino, however. That Yamanaka girl was too close to the original Sakura, and it would be an unnecessary risk should the blonde start getting suspicious in Sakura's change of attitude. Lee had always been too infatuated with Sakura to ever get to know the 'real' her, and Tenten and Sakura had never been more than friendly acquaintances.

"Team Gai."

Tsunade did a double-take. "I would have thought you would want to be with Ino?"

Sakura shook her head. "Ino and I are best friends, but we would not function well on a team. She and I argue too much, the two of us are too headstrong."

"Ah, I see." Tsunade she realized the chaos Sakura and Ino would probably cause together. Her pen scratched on paper as she assigned Sakura to her new temporary team. "Well then, you will start accompanying Team Gai on their missions from now until the Chunnin Exams. Are you okay with that?"

Sakura nodded.

"Very good. Shizune, if you would please deliver the information to the members of Team Gai; tell them that they can begin training with her in two days. That should be enough time for Sakura to recover from her travels, right Sakura?" The Hokage turned to Sakura.

The pinkette smiled. "More than enough. Thank you so much for this, Shisou!"

Tsunade chuckled as Shizune left the office. "Now on to other matters. Before you left for your clan, you were apprenticed to me. You never finished that training. I assume you would like to continue your studies?"

"Of course!"

The Hokage nodded. "Come in tomorrow morning so that I can review everything you do or do not remember from when I first taught you. Depending on your score, I will assign you a part-time job at the hospital. Personal training with me will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 6:00 AM to noon. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Shisou!" Sakura grinned at Tsunade.

"Do you still have all the textbooks I leant to you at your home?"

Sakura nodded.

"Read up on those, then. Dismissed." Tsunade paused before reaching over the desk and ruffling Sakura's hair. "Welcome home, kid."

"It's good to be back."

_{*~*~*}_

Upon entering her old, dusty apartment, something deep within Sakura shook. It was a presence briefly awakened, one eye opening, before she quickly shoved it back down. Sakura swallowed the feeling in her throat and walked through the doorway, her feet leaving slight footsteps in the dust. She sneezed as she dropped her pack on beside the door and shut it behind.

Rubbing her nose and squinting in annoyance, Sakura's first order of business was to set of shields around her apartment. Her modest apartment had two bedrooms and one bathroom, one of the bedrooms converted into an office with a desk and futon. She rummaged around in that room until she found a spare ink well and brush, and then began the arduous task of warding her apartment. The ink glowed slightly with chakra as she coated complicated seals which blocked out all ninja senses from spying on her, even kekkei genkai. When she had completed this, Sakura raised two fingers in front of her face and dispersed her chakra, the ink fading into the walls and leaving no trace.

Now she began to unpack, not having much since the Haruno were not a very materialistic family. Or much of a family to begin with. After finishing this Sakura fixed herself a small meal from what was still edible in her pantry and ate in silence, washing her food down with tea. Then she set to work cleaning the apartment, opening all the windows and the front door, sweeping out the dust and airing out the smell of chemicals.

When this was done she sat down in the main living room, a traditional low table and cushions atop a tatami mat making up the extent of her furniture. Rolling out a blank scroll, Sakura sliced open her palm with a kunai and used the same brush to paint kanji upon the scroll. Two seconds elapsed before a figure flickered into sight before her, a basic human shape of black smoke with glowing green eyes.

"It is safe to talk, Etsuyo-sama. The wards have been set in place." Sakura said blandly.

The figure nodded. "Very good. Everything is in order, I hope?"

"No one suspects any change. I am to take the Chunnin Exams in three months and return to an apprenticeship with the Hokage."

"Perfect. You are given permission to use your Blodrhun during the Chunnin Exam, but not in front of your teammates, whoever they may be." Sakura nodded as Etsuyo continued, "And as for your apprenticeship, be extremely careful with the Hokage. One slip up and she will have grounds to investigate us. Stay in her good graces."

"Hai, Etsuyo-sama."

Without a farewell the figure flickered out of sight, and the blood on the scroll faded into the paper until nothing was left. Sakura quickly rolled up the parchment and walked over to her bookshelf, hiding it in a small wooden box on the top shelf behind some novels. She took the rest of the day off to sleep, knowing that the next day would be back to training.

_{*~*~*}_

Training with Team Gai was incredibly taxing.

While her training with Tsunade went smoothly (it was just a matter of memorizing the medical texts that Tsunade gave her and mimicking their techniques), Team Gai strained her patience. Half the time Sakura was one more _"Lee!" "Gai-sensei!" "Lee!" "Gai-sensei!" _away from releasing her homicidal tendencies and teaching the two 'green beasts' a lesson on the meaning of pain. She had no doubt that her clan would be more than happy to put the enraging idiots out of their misery.

But back to the training. Though the Haruno training made her physically fit, training with Gai pushed her strengths to their limits. She and Tenten became close (at least Tenten thought they did- Sakura was just acting), and the two kunoichi often sparred together, leaving the green beasts to their, er, sunsets. Sakura wore weights on her arms and legs and often raced against Lee, and had targeting contest with Tenten. Though she rarely ever defeated Lee in speed, Sakura and Tenten were now equally talented in weapons.

Sakura's favorite training, however, was the illegal kind. She spent the first month or so sneaking into the Konoha archives to steal scrolls of powerful jutsu, taking two at a time, and mastering them before returning for more. As her chakra control perfected with the medical ninjutsu, she began mastering justu faster and faster. Even if her element was water, Sakura's chakra control allowed her to use jutsu of all other elements as well, although they were not as effective.

_Soon I'll beat Kakashi. _She thought wryly after she had mastered the last jutsu in the archives. All this was done in the course of two months. After she had exhausted the archives, Sakura set her sights on the Hokage tower, where the forbidden jutsu were kept. The security of Konoha was truly laughable, and she easily continued to steal two jutsu at a time, each one more powerful and terrible than the next.

Thankfully teamwork was not an issue with her current teammates for the Chunnin Exams. Or rather, they were individually strong enough that teamwork really was not a factor. Tenten and Lee worked together flawlessly (unless Lee did something rash) , and she supposed herself and Tenten worked well enough, both weapon mistresses and training together enough to coordinate their battle tactics.

The third month had come.

They would soon be heading out to Suna for the Chunnin Exams.

Sakura sat on her windowsill, a forbidden scroll in one hand while cold jade eyes regarded the moon. She was moving up. She was gaining strength. A cold grin stretched across her lips.

_Bloodlust._

_{*~*~*}_

There was only one way to get into the Akatsuki: You had to be invited.

It was easier said than done. Mika knew she had a long way ahead of her. She was to take on an alias, make a name for herself as a mercenary and assassin.

So she became Kikyo: a missing-nin from Kusa. It was a simple matter of capturing some third-rate Grass rogue ninja and extracting every memory he had of growing up in Kusagakure, then burying the body and taking the slashed hitai-ate. With his memory, she knew how to act and behave as a Kusa shinobi. She became less rash, reigning in her temper in favor of a more calculating approach. Kusa-nin were analysts and manipulative, their strengths lay in drawing out their enemy and tiring them out before going in for the kill. She studied herbology and botany, since Grass was famous for its overgrown fauna, as well as poison masters (thank kami Sakura had leant her notes on poisons).

For the next year or two Mika spent her days crossing borders and dodging hunter-nin (most of which were pathetically easy to dispatch). She was ruthless and efficient, emotionless with no room for foolishness. Assassinations were her forte, as she had no qualms about killing. She also kidnapped, tortured, and spied, anything that did not require a conscious. Her fame as Kikyo grew rapidly.

Soon, everything would fall into place.

* * *

><p><strong>Quick Question:<strong>** Do you guys want me to skip over the Chunnin Exams (and therefore the next chapter will be the end of the extended flashback) or do you want me to go ahead and write the Chunnin Exams?**

**Also, I have a new drabble series called ****An Umbra History**** that I **_**implore**_** you to go check out. It's Bayonetta, but even if you don't know the game, just go read&review and tell me you love me! ( -thirsty much?). But seriously, even if you don't know the world of Bayonetta, the drabble series will basically explain everything to you, since I'm actually fleshing out the background story of the game.**

**Checklist for your review:**

**Did you answer my quick question about the Chunnin Exams?**

**Are you going to read my drabble series (say yes)?**

**If you did all that, I love you forever!**

**Lots O' Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	12. Chapter 11: Don't Stop

**So I squeezed the Chunnin Exams into one chapter. What, did you guys expect some three chapter nonsense? LOL nope. The Chunnin Exams is one of those things I like to just get over with.**

**I DON'T OWN NOTHIN**

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><p><span><em>Chapter Eleven: Don't Stop<em>

_Violence is a song._

_A hymn of victory._

_An elegy of death._

_It is the fire that thrums in my veins._

_The lust that fuels my body._

_The warmth of blood._

_Oh, but to escape… is it worth it?_

_{*~*~*}_

_The road I walk is paved in gold  
>To glorify my platinum soul<br>I'll buy my way to talk to God  
>So he can live with what I'm not<em>

_The selfish blood runs through my veins  
>I gave up everything for fame<br>I am the lie that you adore  
>I feed the rich and fuck the poor<em>

_The road I walk is paved in gold_  
><em>To glorify my platinum soul<em>  
><em>I am the closest thing to God<em>  
><em>So worship me and never stop<em>

_I got what you want, it just don't stop_  
><em>This is entertainment; Lies are entertainment<em>  
><em>You are down on your knees begging me for more<em>

_Dear future:_  
><em>I bought you, I own the right<em>  
><em>to let go; destroy you. This is my life.<em>

_I got what you want, it just don't stop  
>This is entertainment; <em>_**Lives**__ are entertainment  
>You are down on your knees begging me for more<br>_

_{*~*~*}_

These Chunnin Exams were really quite disappointing. She had forgotten how weak the average Genin was; pathetic children playing ninja. They had started with a written test, much like what Sakura had taken in her first Chunnin Exam, except this time the real-world application calculations were a serious test. This time the Genin would not pass if they did not bother to answer the questions seriously. In Sakura's opinion, this at least eliminated the stupid Genin who relied solely on natural skill and luck. It was harsh but fair.

Since every Chunnin Exam required a survival test, it was logical to assume that Suna would throw its guest out to brave the merciless desert. Much to Sakura's annoyance and surprise, many (far too many) of the Genin teams were actually _surprised_ at this. The stupid, brainless half-wits. As cries of protests had risen up from the gathered Genin after the written test had finished, Sakura had been itching to just kill them all and get it over with. Thankfully, Tenten had distracted her by suggesting that they stock up on dry foods before any of the other teams got to the market, and the two kunoichi had slipped away from the meeting before the proctors had dismissed them (not that the Chunnin and Jounin had noticed… which was pathetic). Lee had eventually found them, ignorant to their early departure, the oblivious fool. The kunoichi had tuned out his ranting about teamwork, or something equally pointless, and calmly assigned him the task of carrying the heaviest of their equipment, namely the tents and survival kits that Sakura and Tenten had been smart enough to prepare before leaving Konoha.

At the present moment, Sakura and Team Gai were setting up their camp in the middle of the desert. They had found a small outcrop of rock that would shield them from the afternoon sun and decided to stake it out for the next week. There was no natural water sources for miles other than Suna itself, so any team that did not have an alternative solution were either dead or could send a flare into the sky and signal surrender. Sakura had informed her team that she had a jutsu that would provide them a limited supply of water, and so all they had to do was wait out the week and protect their position from any encroaching teams that would steal their shade.

As far as Tenten or Lee knew, no one had found them yet. The reality was far different. Being a Haruno, Sakura's grasp of chakra made her a superb sensor nin. She felt enemy teams approaching their positions minutes before her teammates would have felt them. With some half-assed excuse Sakura would slip away and eliminate the competition before they had any warning, Tenten and Lee none the wiser. After all, Sakura did not want to waste another Chunnin Exam on merely preliminary matches (besides, these Genin should have known that there was a chance of dying). The bodies were easily buried in the desert, lost to the sands of time.

Time passed slowly in the desert. Sakura used a jutsu she had 'acquired' while in Suna (the security around their forbidden vault was just as lax as Konoha, much to her amusement) that allowed her to glean moisture from the air and nearby organisms, down to the smallest bacteria, and concentrate it into a single entity. By concentrating her chakra in a covered pot that they kept inside the tent, the water amount gradually grew until it was tangible enough for them to partake in. Of course, being in a desert, they still had to ration the water due to the small amount of moisture, and therefore there was only one pot of water to last them an entire day by each morning. Sakura did not really see why the jutsu was classified as forbidden; it would obviously be a huge advantage to Suna shinobi. But she supposed the fact that the jutsu sucked the life out of microorganisms and small furry creatures was a little alarming, even it wasn't strong enough to seriously dehydrate and kill a human being.

The sun rose and set, the days were long and unbearably hot, the nights were short and freezing. Sakura killed off most of the teams that came near their position, but allowed two to get close so that her teammates would not become suspicious by the lack of action. As the sun set on the seventh day Sakura and Tenten made use of the cooling hours to pack up their things in preparation for the trek back to Suna, using the chiller hours of the night so that they could run straight back to the village, the placement of the stars their only guide.

As teams began trickling into Sunagakure from the desert, the exhaustion was almost tangible in the air due to the combination of surviving the desert and being constantly on guard for enemy teams. Sakura, Tenten, and Lee probably had the most energy of all the remaining contestants, having encountered far fewer teams (with the exception of Sakura's meddling), and being well prepared with food and water for the harsh environment. While the three Konoha Genin were skinnier due to the rationed food and water, they were far healthier than other Genin who had gone in unprepared, and were now under-fed and dehydrated, looking more like Ame refugees than proud shinobi.

Sakura resisted the urge to snort at the comparison.

And so as compassionate as the Suna proctors were, they went straight into the individual matches. The proctors seemed surprised at how few teams passed, and had expected that preliminary matches would be necessary. Sakura smirked at their reactions when no one was looking. The crowds were already gathered, a stadium lined with streamers and filled with the smell of cheap fried foods, the Kages and nobles seated upon a balcony overlooking the fighting arena in which the tired and worn Chunnin hopefuls were paraded in. Ignoring Lee's incessant fist-pumping, Tenten and Sakura glanced up to the balcony of honored guests, making eye contact with the Hokage and nodding in her direction.

The competitors were sent to another balcony to wait as the Kazekage stood up to give a speech, one which most of the shinobi tuned out in order to gathered their thoughts. Tenten carefully calculated her weapon supply and energy levels, Lee looked constipated as he suppressed his youthful energy (gag me, please), and Sakura merely leaned against a wall in the back and closed her eyes. She almost looked as if she was sleeping, if it wasn't for the superior smirk barely visible on her face. Cautiously she was probing the ninja around her with her chakra, gauging their chakra levels and from that gleaning their overall health. Only one or two seemed to be in enough shape to stand a chance against her, even without using her Blodrhun.

"Oi, you there!"

Sakura felt her eyebrow twitch and counted to ten before opening her eyes, lazily making contact with some blonde-haired Iwa boy. It took her only a second to scan his frame, tall and lanky but clearly younger than her, tanned to a dark peach color, eyes that were a deep russet color that sparkled with challenge, and light blonde hair pulled into a short ponytail with bangs falling over one eye. He was pointing an obnoxious finger at her that almost made her want to cut it off, his other hand on his hip where an Iwa forehead protector was being used as a belt around blue nin pants, accompanied by various supply pouches and a kunai holster, along with nin sandals. Sakura once again felt her eyebrow twitch at the fact that this idiot was _using fishnet as a goddamn shirt_, and closed her eyes to start another count to ten.

"Oi! I'm talking to you!"

_So help me, I will cut out your tongue – no I am at the Chunnin Exams. Breathe. Breath. Ignore the –_

"Yeah you, Pinky!"

Sakura's eyes flew open and she almost lost enough composure to glare. Instead she glanced at his dismissively, and then took in his apprehensive teammates, a brunette kunoichi of no importance and a more reserved redhead who was shaking his head, obviously at this blonde's stupidity. Sakura's gaze languidly travelled back to the energetic Iwa nin, who was staring at her with fierce determination, silent permission for him to speak.

"What are you doing just sleeping there, huh?" The blonde accused, his voice capturing the attention of the other contestants around them. "I bet you're one of those prodigies who think this is all just a walk in the park, huh? You think you're so cool –" He cut off as Sakura pushed herself off the wall.

"Shut up." Sakura sighed and she turned and walked away to where Tenten and Lee were standing by the railing overlooking the stadium, the two of them still listening to whatever Gaara had to say.

"Oi! I'm not done talking to you!"

Having far too much experience with idiots of this breed, Sakura paused and gave a long-suffering sigh as she turned to face the annoying brat. She gave him a deadpanned look and arched an eyebrow.

"Whether I am a prodigy or not is none of your business. And unless we are selected as opponents, your existence does not matter to me, and neither should I matter to you." Sakura eyed him disdainfully before leaving, "Now quit bothering me, kid."

She heard movement behind her as the Iwa ninja was restrained by his teammates from lunging at her, but it was not before the blonde threw a kunai. However Sakura flickered out of their sight and the kunai continued to sail towards Tenten's head. Without looking Tenten's arms shot up and caught the kunai in between two fingers just as Sakura appeared behind the Iwa boy, harshly knocking his teammates away and pinning the blonde to the floor with a chakra-laden foot. When the other two Iwa Genin tried to free their teammate from Sakura, Lee appeared out of thin air –such was his speed –and effortlessly hitting the brunette and redhead into a wall across the room.

"Such cowardly behavior!" Lee chided them.

The Genin around them stared, intimidated at the small display of power by the Konoha team, even if it was only in their reflexes. Tenten shook her head in exasperation and flicked the kunai away, reaching out to drag Lee away. The brunette made eye contact with Sakura, who stepped away from her captive and followed her teammates to the other side of the waiting area as the proctors came in to yell at the impulsive Iwa Genin.

"Thank a lot, Daichi-baka." The brunette Iwa girl muttered to her teammate as they were chewed out by the Suna proctor.

"Shut up, Hitsume." The blonde muttered.

The redheaded boy elbowed them both, careful not to draw anymore of the proctor's ire. "Both of you shut up."

"But Kaita –" the blonde protested.

The proctor was gone now, and the redheaded Kaita whirled to face Daichi. "Sensei told you to not to draw attention to yourself. You heard about the last Chunnin Exams! There were some seriously powerful Genin that lost to even _more_ powerful opponents. The current Kazekage was one of them! Some of these so-called Genin should already Chunnin in terms of skill! And they won't hesitate to kill you!"

Daichi scowled and walked over to the wall that the brunette Konoha kunoichi had thrown his kunai into. As the Iwa blonde reached up to pull out his kunai, he grunted in confusion. He pulled. And pulled again. His teammates gave him curious looks before coming to his aid. The three of them worked to pull the kunai out of the wall for a good five minutes before the mortar relented.

"Damn." Hitsume, the brunette, breathed. "That kunoichi drove your kunai two inches into the wall. With one toss."

The three young Genin turned to stare at the brown-haired kunoichi from Leaf.

"Look. It's starting." Tenten spoke up and the three Konoha ninja turned to face the gigantic billboard where the names of the opponents were now being announced.

_Hirsoka Yashiro vs. Nagoya Itsume_

They relaxed in disappointedment as a Kirin in joined a Kumo nin on the floor. The battles commenced and began to pass in a blur. Most of the Genin were unimpressive, with passing Chunnin skills at best. There were some interesting bloodline limits presented, and a few jutsus that Sakura made a mental note to track down and learn some day. Tenten and Lee's matches had gone quickly –after all they were already Chunnin level, with their skills and experience, just without the official title. Tenten ended up facing against the redheaded Iwa nin, who turned out to be a genjustu user. Unfortunately for the boy, he had no backup plan should his genjutsus (which were an impressive Chunnin-level, for a ninja so young) fail him. Tenten had enough experience not to fall for anything less than a Jounin-level genjustu, and so she easily trashes him.

Lee faced off with a puppet-user from Suna. That had been an interesting fight. Lee had struggled initially against the long-range tactics, but his abnormally high metabolism easily burned through the weak poison that the Suna-nin used, and with his unpredictable speed, Lee slowly began the process of beating the puppets until they were useless. He closed in on the puppet-user and flash-stepped to where the other boy had been hiding, and promptly knocked the Genin unconscious. Tenten cheered and hugged him as he rejoined them on the balcony, Sakura smiling and clapping him on the back. Murmurs spread among the crowds at the talent of the Konoha Genin, a weapons mistress and speed demon. Sakura could not wait to show them how much more she could do.

The time had come.

_Hotari Kurobu vs. Haruno Sakura_

The Iwa Genin known as Daichi gave a low whine as the pink-haired kunoichi he had hoped to face stepped forward, along with some Kiri-nin that he didn't care about.

"You ready to loose, Pinky?"

Sakura glanced over at her opponent, a large man easily six feet tall, dressed in black nin-pants and boots, with a green collared shirt and a longsword sheathed upon his back. He had dark tan skin and green eyes, which were almost cast into shadow by his forehead protector and shaggy black hair. He gave her a hungry grin, to which Sakura merely gave him an unimpressed look.

Without speaking Sakura daintily jumped onto the rail of the balcony, balanced for a second on her toe, before she launched herself into the arena. She landed gracefully on the packed dirt, barely stirring up any dust. Her opponent huffed at her silence before he followed her in.

"I hope you have made peace with this world, Kurobu-kun." Sakura taunted him with an airy, dry voice. "Because I do not intend to be mercilful."

The Kiri-nin scoffed. "Don't be so arrogant, you little bitch."

"BEGIN!" The proctor cried as he leaped away from the opposing ninja.

Sakura dodged Kurobu's immediate blow, his sword cleaving into the ground where she had been standing as she jumped up into the air. She tutted. "How rude."

"Manners are the least of your worries!" Kurobu snarled as he launched another barrage at her. He was impulsive and underestimating her, something which Sakura never failed to find humorous. Kurobo aimed attack after attack at her, but Sakura easily dodged them all, looking almost as if she was dancing with the way she gracefully twirled and leaped out of his way. Sakura could almost hear Tsunade's laughter, thinking of how useless such a mediocre charging tactic was useless against a medic trained by the best.

This went on for five minutes.

"Dammit! Stand still you coward!" Kurobu snarled.

Sakura's eyes twinkled darkly as she dodged another air-splitting swipe. "If you think your opponents will always stand still for you to defeat, then you are not ready to be a ninja." She taunted the Kiri-nin.

He roared again and lashed out wildly, and suddenly as quick as a viper Sakura snaked through his defenses and jabbed her glowing green fingers around his shoulders, then leaping back. The crowds gasped as Kurobu's sword arm suddenly fell limp to his sides, his sword landing with a resounding _thud_ on the earth.

A dark chuckle sounded faintly from Sakura's position. "You fool." She began walking closer to him, Kurobu unconsciously taking a few steps back. "Everyone knows that the legendary Tsunade-hime's apprentice has pink hair." Kurobu's eyes practically bugged out of his head and he quickly glanced at the Kage balcony.

"Yes, that one." Sakura purred, enjoying his fear, her Blodrhun thrumming in its hidden sheath beneath her vest. "I have severed all your nerve endings to your arm. I could have easily severed your brain stem, but I decided against ending this fight too quickly. People came here to see a show, ne?" She bent down to pick up his longsword, looking it over idly. It was of good craftsmanship, nothing fancy, but strong and sturdy, easily five feet long. The stadium gasped as Sakura suddenly brought the flat of the blade down on her knee, snapping the steel in half as if it were a twig. Kurobu gapped like a fish out of water, his face an odd mixture of incredulousness, fear, and anger.

"Now you've had your fun." Sakura tossed aside the blade fragments, her eyes losing their bland amusement and taking on a predatory glint that gave her opponent shivers down his spine. "Let me show a little of what I can do."

She decided to show off taijutsu first. With a speed that almost matched Lee, Sakura rocketed at her opponent, kicking into the air like an empty sack. She appeared above him, hammer-kicking his abdomen and sending him crashing back to earth, blood sprouting from his lips as the ground crumbled beneath his form in a small crater. Back and forth across the arena Sakura relentlessly pounded Kurobu's flailing body with so much ease it was actually quite painful to watch.

She suddenly skidded to a halt as her opponent fell to the earth again, her hand blurring before touching down on the ground. Kurobu was just struggling to his feet when the earth rippled around his feet and arms of rock suddenly leaped from the ground to encase him. By sheer luck Kurobu stumbled out of their way, making Sakura huff in annoyance. But her hands were already blurring in another set of handsigns, to which she calmly bent down and hovered her hands two inches above the ground as electricity sparked along her fingers.

Kurobu gasped as the ground glinted in the light. "Ninja wire –!?"

The electric current was already racing along the metal of the wire, which Sakura suddenly fisted in her hands and whipped upwards. Cords of charged ninja wire shattered the soil that they were hidden beneath, shedding sand as the electricity thrummed along its length. The wires hung still in the air for one breathless moment, before Sakura tugged them taut, and they snapped close around her opponent, like a fly in a spiderweb. Kurobu screamed in agony at the combination of ripping flesh and searing currents. Still not finished, Sakura pulled the wire again, the gloves on her hands protecting her from any serious damage to herself. Kurobu found himself being slingshot over the pinkette's head, before she hauled him back in her direction, meeting his face with a rather small chakra punch –meaning that instead of losing his entire jaw he just had it broken.

Sakura tamped down the sudden bloodlust emanating from her Blodrhun, knowing that she had to hold back for now. _More… More… Blood… Death…_

Enough.

Sakura narrowed her eyes and pushed down the killing intent that was leaking through her façade, her iron will sealing away her primal urges to rip and shred and partake in blood. She must have not been quick enough, however, because Kurobu made eye contact with her and actually whimpered.

A cruel smile flashed across her face, too quick for anyone other than her opponent to see.

She released the ninja wire, not worrying about Kurobu escaping. His body was too twisted and mangled with the ninja wire for any possibility of escape; the medics would have to cut him out of it, so deeply was it embedded in his flesh. The stench of blood and piss stained the air around him, but Sakura was unfazed as she approached his head.

The Kirin in stared pointedly at her boots, too afraid to make eye contact with her. Sakura crouched next to him, leaning down so that no one else could read her lips as she whispered to him.

"You are lucky I have a higher purpose that this pathetic exam. Otherwise I would not bother resisting the urge to kill you in the most excruciatingly possible way." This time the soft giggle that escaped her was truly sinister, nearly insane. Sakura reached over to caress his cheek, and the large man flinched and whimpered like the wretched dog that he was. "It is telling me to kill you, y'know. To bathe in your blood, to rend you to little fleshy bits and fill the air with the hymns of your screaming. I get stronger with every life I take… But yours is not worth sacrificing my mission."

Sakura's index finger arched and she lightly dragged her fingernail down his face, not breaking the skin but still leaving a red mark. "Remember the name Haruno, pitiful creature. Fear the name. For if you come across another of my brethren, they will not be so merciful."

Sakura's eyes glowed neon green for a moment, their light enhanced by the shadow that was cast on her face by its angle against the afternoon sun. The entire arena saw the bright twin flashes of emerald, though it lasted only for a second. The stadium went quiet, wondering what it was supposed to do.

And then Kurobu began to scream.

Sakura stood up, her face calm and placid as she walked away from the thrashing sack of flesh that was once a proud shinobi. His cries echoed off the arena walls, pure agony that made those who listened wince, lesser men and women covering their ears and turning away. Yet Sakura's face stayed emotionless as she approached their proctor, who eyed her warily.

"It is done. That genjustu will last for at least twenty-four hours." She told the Suna ninja.

The Suna proctor gave a pitying glance towards Kurobu before nodding at her to leave. He then stepped forward to announce the winner.

"Haruno Sakura is the victor!"

Sakura did not pay attention to the roar of the crowd, and ignored the medics that rushed by her to lift her useless opponent onto a stretcher, strapping his still-flailing body down with leather buckles. She leaped up onto the rail of the balcony where her teammates awaited, stepping down lightly to the floor. The other Genin quickly moved out of her way as she moved through them, casting fearful glances at her blank face.

As she made to pass the Iwa team, she paused. From the corner of her eye, Sakura could see that the three children were trembling. Hitsume, the little kunoichi, was slightly hidden behind that redhead Kaita, who stood beside Daichi. Their eyes were as wide as saucers, their mouths slack and hands twitching towards their weapon holsters.

Sakura slowly turned to face them, Daichi in particular. The young blonde stared up at her with ill-concealed fear, and he suddenly seemed so much younger. _Such naiveté_, she thought. Innocence was only a hindrance in their world.

"Get used to cruelty, children." Sakura murmured to them. "It is the way of the world."

And with that, she moved to the staircase that led down to the hospital ward, where Tenten had gone to see Lee after his battle.

It took a few seconds for the Iwa team to regain their bearings.

"Aren't ya glad you didn't fight her, Daichi?" Hitsume tried to quip, but her voice came out softer than intended.

Daichi stared down at the ground, clenching his fists. "Yeah…"

Kaita shook his head. "That was not a fight… that was a one-sided massacre. How is someone like that still a Genin?!"

Daichi looked off in the direction of that the pink-haired kunoichi had left them. He had known that shinobi could become powerful early in life… but this was more than a display of power. It was cunning. Ruthless. And something else, something darker, a fear that clawed at his insides even before he had first spoken to the Konoha kunoichi. There was this natural stillness to her, a feeling that made his most primal instinct scream at him to flee, to run, to hide.

A great and terrifying beauty.

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><p><strong>BADASS SAKURA STRIKES AGAIN! That boy got his ass handed to him! Boom!<strong>

**Teehee. I loved writing that portion. Sadly, no Mika. **

**Why did I put in that Iwa team? Honestly, idk. For shits and giggles I guess.**

**Read & Review!**

**Lots O' Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	13. Chapter 12: Going Under

**OMG HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN?**

**I'm so sorry this is delayed. Honestly, I had the first part of this chapter done, like, a month ago. But then my computer **_**fucking crashed**_** and then fucking **_**wiped all of my Microsoft shit.**_** Thank God I keep a backup of all of my stories! Still, it took weeks for my computer to be back to normal, so I am so so sorry for the delay!**

* * *

><p><span><em>Chapter Twelve: Going Under<em>

_I was losing to reality._

_Faith was obsolete._

_Love was a myth._

_The old Sakura was gone now._

_No longer was there a voice of light._

_No longer did part of me flinch at the thought of treason._

_She was dead._

_Gloriously dead silence._

_{*~__*~*}_

_Blurring and stirring the truth and the lies._

_So I don't know what's real and what's not _

_Always confusing the thoughts in my head_

_So I can't trust myself anymore_

_I'm going under _

_Drowning in you _

_I'm falling forever _

_I've got to break through_

_So go on and scream_

_Scream at me I'm so far away (so far away)_

_I won't be broken again (again)_

_I've got to breathe - I can't keep going under_

_{*~*~*}_

"The hell was that?!"

The question would have been amusing, if not for the harsh tone that accompanied it, as well as the woman who had spoken it. Lee and Tenten had been released after the hospital had deemed them healthy, and had headed back to their rooms. Sakura had assured the medics that she was quite capable of healing herself, and so was let off the hook. She trusted Tenten to pack her things for her while she waited for their Hokage to leave a meeting, which consisted of the attending Kage (Kumo, Suna, and Kiri in attendance), and visiting daimyo and lords.

Tsunade did not seem willing to dance around the subject as she exited the meeting room.

Sakura pushed off from the wall she had been leaning against, looking so polished that it was hard to imagine that she had been in battle hours before. After give a few last nods and smiles at the lords and Kages that walked by and congratulated her on her win, Sakura finally approached her Hokage, mind whirring with possible lies.

"You are talking about the fight today, I assume." Sakura murmured as she fell in step next to Tsunade, keeping her eyes on the scenery around them and barely moving her lips to keep their conversation private.

"What did you think?" Tsunade muttered. "That was more than not holding back, Sakura. That was overkill. You already had your opponent down when you locked him inside the nightmare genjustu. Where did you learn that thing anyway?"

Sakura was contemplative for a moment before she answered. "I started off my offence with a chakra scalpel. Now I could have ended the fight right there, and you know it. It would have been so easy to sever the spinal column, paralyze his whole body… but I didn't want people to see me as merely your carbon copy. I am more than just an offensive medical ninja. I wanted the Kages and daimyos to see that I had more to my repertoire." She paused to lick her lips. "After proving my medical ability, I moved to taijutsu. Then ninjutsu. Between those two my tactics showed off cunning as well as a degree of ruthlessness –"

"Just a degree?" Tsunade snorted.

"You know I would never gain their respect if I showed mercy. Naruto may be able to get away with it, but in me it is considered a weakness. There is a double standard for female ninja, we both know that." Sakura chided, Tsunade sighing in reluctant agreement.

"And the genjustu?"

Sakura chuckled. "Actually, I was inspired by Uchiha Itachi's Tsukiyomi. I always had an affinity for genjustu, but I never honed it. While I was training for these exams, I thought I would make my debut with something a little more powerful than anyone would expect for a beginning genjustu specialist."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. "You want to specialize in genjustu?"

"As a side project mostly." Sakura shrugged. "I am still dabbling in all areas of expertise just to even out my skillset first."

"That is wise." Tsunade smiled fondly and slightly ruffled Sakura's hair. "Tell me more about your genjustu, though."

Tsunade motioned for Sakura to follow her as they found a more private setting. The two Konoha kunoichi found themselves overlooking Sunagakure from one of the building's balconies. People bustled in and out below them, carrying paperwork and files for the offices, ninja leaping up and down rooftops.

"Well as I said, it is deviated from the Uchiha Tsukiyomi." Sakura began and she leaned on the railing, Tsunade standing next to her with her arms crossed loosely. "I studied a bit of the effects while Kakashi had been in his coma all those years ago. After he woke up I eventually asked him to describe its effects, even if Kakashi was as vague as ever. And then when I returned, I sought him out again to gain more insight on how the Tsukiyomi worked."

Tsunade hummed, impressed. "How are things between you and Kakashi anyway? You don't talk about him much anymore. And as far as the limited view of my office tells me, you two don't seem to be socializing."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, sighing. "Well… You know Kakashi was never much of a teacher. He was always concentrated on the boys on my team and I was just… a wallflower." Oh how perfect that description was, Sakura thought wryly. "I don't think we ever meant much to each other. We were teammates. But never comrades."

The elder Sannin gave her apprentice a world-weary smile and patted her on the back but did not respond. There was nothing more to say. It was the unfortunate truth.

"Well, anyway, congratulations Sakura. You've made Chunnin." Tsunade murmured with a small smile. "You'll make Jounin in no time."

_{*~*~*}_

After her talk with Tsunade, Sakura headed back to the room she was sharing with Tenten. All of the contestants for the Chunnin Exams were staying on the east end of town, save for those who were Suna natives. The females bunked on the third and fourth floors, while the males bunked on the first and second. Teammates were placed together, and if one was without a partner (such as Lee, being the only guy on his team) they were assigned a room with another lone teammate. The assignments avoided putting together shinobi from rival villages of course (no Iwa with Konoha, or Kumo with Kiri), but otherwise the assignments were random.

Sakura and Tenten were staying on the fourth floor, with a lovely view of the Suna skyline. The pinkette had just been about to enter the building when she felt a chakra signature approaching her from behind at a sedate pace.

"Yes?" Sakura asked as she turned around.

A familiar Suna kunoichi stood before her, about two inches shorter than Sakura, plain brown hair and with annoyingly hopeful eyes. Ah yes, Sakura had seen this girl hanging around the Kazekage, one of his secretaries or something. Or a groupie. She could never tell the difference.

"U-Um… You are Haruno Sakura, right?" The girl murmured, her voice soft with nervousness.

Sakura sighed. "Do you know anyone else with pink hair?"

The girl reddened, and seemed to stifle a giggle. Sakura prayed for patience. No wonder men had a hard time respecting women, with girls acting so… airheaded.

"Well?" Sakura demanded.

The brunette sobered. "Oh, uh, right. Well I am Matsuri, I work for Kazekage-sama –"

"Gaara?" Sakura asked to make sure. This girl seemed unsure of the words coming out of her mouth for some stupid reason. _Oh great, Mika's impatience has rubbed off on me._

Matsuri gasped and blushed at the kunoichi's familiar use of the Kazekage's name.

"Relax, girl." Sakura deadpanned. "I've known Gaara since before he hit puberty. Now just tell me what you want to say."

The poor Suna kunoichi got even redder, but managed to relay her message. "Oh! Ah, Ga –I mean the Kazekage requests your presence. At his office. He wants to see you in –"

"Yes, yes, I get it." Sakura snapped. "Now please leave. I can't bear to listen to any more of that awful stuttering."

Matsuri "eeped!" and quickly bowed to Sakura, scurrying off to the other end of the village. Sakura glanced between the office district, from which she had just left, to her hotel. Why couldn't Gaara send for her before she left in the opposite direction of his office? Sniffing her uniform –and wincing at the smell of desert, sweat, and blood –Sakura decided that it would be quite rude of her to enter the Kazekage's office smelling like death. He could wait –she was taking a goddamn shower.

With her wet hair pulled into a bun atop her head, looking plum in the low light, Sakura donned a pair of black slacks, her black breast band, and a fishnet shirt. She tucked her nin-pants into her boots and wrapped her ruby-colored Haruno scarf around her head to ward of wind, sand, and the afternoon sun, since the sun set around eight o'clock in Suna.

"Have fun on your date." Tenten teased from where she lounged on her bed, sharpening the weapons that had been scratched and nicked during her battle.

Sakura scowled at her teammate, waving a kunai at her. "I swear I'm gonna throw this at you." The pinkette than huffed and shoved the kunai into the kunai pouch on her thigh alongside its brethren, many other weapons hidden on her deceptively lightly-clad figure.

"De-ni-al!" Tenten sang behind her and Sakura opened the door.

"It's not a fucking date!" Sakura yelled over her shoulder and she closed the door shut rather roughly behind her, uncaring of whether she was disturbing any of the other kunoichi on their floor.

When she exited the building, Sakura quietly flash-stepped to the Kazekage dome (Konoha had a tower for the kage's office, Suna had… domes…heh), arriving in one of the few shadows cast by a neighboring building. All government offices were congregated in this end of the village, large domes build with clay and stone to ward off the sun and capture the cool air. The Kazekage building was, naturally, the largest one sitting in the center of them all. Sakura passed easily through security once she entered the front door and revealed her hair color. It's not like anyone else could pass for her anyway.

_Knock, knock!_

"Enter." Gaara's deep voice resonated through the wood of the door, bored and flat.

Sakura's hand lowered to the doorknob and turned it, the door swinging open and closed behind her. Without waiting for an invitation, Sakura walked forward and dropped into one of the cushioned seats that faced his desk, arms and legs splayed loosely in a completely disrespectful manner for a Kage office. Then again, she had known Gaara long enough to ignore etiquette. Gaara still had not glanced up at her, focused solely on the paperwork in front of him with a solid determination one usually wore when doing something particularly unpleasant but necessary.

"Careful, your eyes might get stuck like that." Sakura drawled as she snatched a small chocolate piece from a candy bowl placed on his desk. "Huh, never took you for the munching type."

Gaara snorted and pushed aside the papers, rubbing his eyes, their ever-present dark circles standing in stark contrast to his pale peach skin and jade eyes. "Temari puts them there. And Kankuro eats most of them."

Sakura sighed and licked her lips. "They're good!"

The Kazekage rolled his eyes. "You haven't changed, have you?"

"It is not wise to assume such things, neh?" Sakura murmured in a soft voice, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

The Kazekage was surprised to feel something akin to doubt creep into his mind, and for a moment the way the light flashed in Sakura's eyes made her seem colder, darker. Then she smiled as her hand darted out to snatch another chocolate. Gaara shook his head; sure it was a trick of the mind.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your match this morning." Gaara told her as he leaned back in his chair, rolling his shoulders to relieve some of the day's tension.

"From the Kazekage himself? I am honored!" Sakura chuckled in a teasing manner. "Come on, Gaara-_kun_, did you really call me here for such a trivial thing? I am not Naruto –we are only friends through him." Then Sakura giggled. "Oh man, imagine Naruto's reaction when he finds out you beat him to being a Kage! He'll shit_ kittens_!"

Sakura threw her head back and let out a full-body laugh. And much to her surprise, Gaara laughed softly as well. Sakura choked.

"Y-You're laughing." She stuttered.

Gaara raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Yes, I am capable of many things."

The Konoha kunoichi shot the redhead an amused glance before snatching another chocolate. She leaned back into her chair as she polished off this candy as well. "As enjoyable as this is, I believe we should get down to business, neh? Why did you call me here, Gaara?"

The Kazekage regarded her thoughtfully, leaning forward and lacing his fingers together to rest his chin atop them. He smelled of the desert: earthen musk and sharp herbs, and something else that Sakura could only describe as the wind itself.

"I suppose you have changed." Gaara spoke, breaking their momentary silence. "I never would have thought you to become such a capable kunoichi."

Sakura decided to take that as a compliment.

"What you displayed out there rivalled many Jounin that I know. You were single-minded, well-rounded, smart, agile –a true kunoichi." Ah, such flattery. Now for the catch.

"Many would attribute your skill to your Shisou." Gaara was gazing deeply into her eyes, studying her like a scientist, bearing down on her soul, and Sakura suddenly felt like she was on the defensive. "And yet only one of your moves was of Tsunade's skillset."

"What are you trying to say, Gaara?" Sakura drawled, though the ease between them had vanished and they both felt the tension in the air.

Gaara sat up straight and placed his palms flat against his desk. "I won't ask who your other teachers are, Sakura. But I ask that you be careful. Reaching for power is dangerous –look at our jinchuriki, look at the Uchiha, the Kaguya…"

Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"You are obviously learning from someone other than Tsunade. Dangerous, powerful lessons that may be more than you bargained for. As Naruto's friend –and I would like to think as your friend as well –I am just asking that you do not lose yourself." Gaara took a breath. "Don't make the same mistake as that Sas –"

"Don't you dare say his name!" The chair toppled behind her as she stood up abruptly, a snarl on her face. "This has nothing to do with that traitor!"

Gaara did not even flinch at Sakura's outburst. But he did tense. Something about Sakura's presence was different now, something that he could not put his finger on. It was like oil in water, this stain on her aura that slipped away each time he tried to grasp its name. It was deadly and yet transient, it made the blood roil beneath his skin, and the Shukaku awaken. The demon within the Kazekage hissed and growled at this mysterious presence, on edge and recoiling from its touch.

"Goodbye, Kazekage-sama." Sakura said stiffly, her face melting into an impassive mask as she whipped around and stalked out of his office, the door slamming behind her with enough force to shake the whole building.

Two minutes later, Kankuro stuck his head in. "Dude, I felt the building shake. So which one did you piss off, Tsunade or her hot little apprentice?"

A chocolate piece slammed into his brother's head hard enough to knock him out.

_{*~*~*}_

The winds whipped sharply through the streets of Suna as Sakura exited the building. Sand rose ominously in its wake, not tall enough for a sandstorm yet, but everyone in the village could feel its coming. The sun seemed to beat down relentlessly, scorching the desert town. Sakura grimaced and quickly wrapped her scarf around her head, covering her face and neck to shield them from the sand and sun.

"Dammit." Sakura hissed as she braved the whipping sands. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

She should not have lost her temper with the Kazekage. How stupid! She should have been able to curb her emotions! Foolish, inconsiderate move. Gaara would surely be suspicious of her now! What if he spoke with Tsunade about her? Not that the Hokage would believe him, but even the slightest doubt can create a barrier between Sakura and the information that she was after. No, this would not do, not at all.

The streets were starting to empty as people hunkered down to wait out the sand storm. Sakura continued to cuss at her luck under her breath, one hand holding the scarf to her face and over her eyes as she ran back to the building where the contestants had been staying in.

"Thank Kami you made it!" Tenten exclaimed as Sakura slipped into their room, dusting sand off of herself. "I was worried you would be caught in the storm after speaking with Gaara."

Sakura set her scarf aside to hang on the closet door, hoping that all of the sand would be out by the time they journeyed back to Konoha.

"I nearly did." Sakura said as she crossed into the room to gather a spare change of clothes and headed to the bathroom to take yet another shower to wash out all of the sand clinging to her body and hair. "Thankfully I was able to cut my meeting with the Kazekage short."

Tenten hummed but did not bother to comment as Sakura disappeared into the bathroom and the shower turned on.

Waiting for the water to heat, Sakura peeled of her clothes and dropped them onto the floor of the shower, watching as the water soaked the fabrics and drew out the sand. Her eyes followed the rivulets of brown as they washed down the drain –

–_like rivers of blood, glorious ruby liquid seeping through the floor, the walls, staining her hands, filling her mouth with its coppery taste, accusing eyes staring blankly at her as the life fades from their depths –_

"_Murderer!"_

Sakura glanced away sharply, her face contorting into an unreadable expression for a moment before she shook her head. The reflection in the mirror caught her eye, and Sakura turned to stare at her naked body, now long and lean from training. She was not a curvy woman by a long shot, instead the Haruno was all angles, her shoulder blades and hip bones sharp, her arms and legs corded with muscle. And standing out against the paleness of her skin were scars. So many scars. They were a tribute to both her strength and weakness.

The slender fingers of her right hand crossed over to trail across her left side, just under Sakura's breast. A jagged brown scar curved from under her armpit, three inches long and half an inch wide. The skin there was slightly bumpy from where the serrated edge of a knife had nearly cut to the heart. This was a scar of pride, one she had received in surviving a suicide mission that Etsuyo had assigned to her.

Her fingers then moved down to her thigh on the right, where a white line ran from her hip bone to the middle of her thigh. The scar was nearly faded by now, but Sakura's eyes would always be drawn to it. This scar had shown her weakness; a lesson in discipline. She had faltered in her mission, questioned her orders, and the opponent had used her momentary distraction to slice at her with his sword.

Sakura's eyes flicked to the condensation gathering on the edges of the mirror, and she sighed as the warmth of steam enveloped her. With the shower finally warm, Sakura turned and stood under the unrelenting spray, closing her eyes and willing her mind to go blank.

Thoughts turned inwards, Sakura's mind turned to the familiar presence in her head. It was like an invisible cord that stretched across time and space, connecting her to her partner. Sakura's mind gently tugged on the bond, and like a vibration traveling across the strings of an instrument, the touch reverberated outwards, following the direction of the bond.

_Mika._

Of course, over such a long distance, Sakura and Mika were unable to converse mind to mind. However no matter where they were in the world, a piece of the other remained in their heads, like a candle flickering in the darkness of the night. Sakura's thoughts again stroked the connection, reassuring herself that Mika was there. As long as Mika lived, she would know. Despite her waning emotions, Sakura's connection to Mika was as vital to her as breathing. Such was the strength of a Haruno partnership.

A fuzzy feeling gently touched Sakura's mind, which she recognized as Mika returning her call, reassuring her that she was okay.

With a sigh, Sakura opened her eyes, the cold glint sparking alight with new life.

_{*~*~*}_

"This is ridiculous." A man grumbled as he watched his target cross the bridge, a large gold-gilded carriage drawn by four large black stallions. The animals tossed their heads animatedly, manes dancing up and down as the coach driver snapped a crop every few minutes. "Why can't we kill them now?"

A redheaded kunoichi glared down at where her 'partner' was crouched on the tree limb, about a foot down from her own position leaning against the tree trunk. "Shut your mouth before his guards hear us."

A guard of sixteen men accompanied the noble's caravan, which was a small number for most nobles. But Mika was no fool; these soldiers were all riding horses, a sign of esteem. They all carried grand katanas, wore gleaming armor, and the medals pinned to their chests told her that this was some sort of honor guard. Defeating them would be a challenge, especially when it was just her and the other idiot that the boss had decided to hire.

Mika sent another scowl towards the back of the shinobi's head. How she wished to have Sakura at her side again. To read each other's mind, sync their movements, and compliment their fighting styles. Then she would not have to sit hear listening to this man's incessant blithering. How the supposedly 'accomplished' rogue nin insisted on talking so much drove her crazy.

"I say we –"

"Shut. Up." Mika growled in a monotone voice, which seemed to frighten people more than if she had raised it.

The rogue shinobi assigned as her partner for the assassination snapped his mouth shut and turned back to watching the coach as it approached the center of the bridge.

_KAAAAABOOOOOM!_

Mika and the other shinobi cursed as an explosion rocked the world around them. Her hand shot out to grip the side of the tree, her stance widening as she braced herself. The rogue ninja beside her yelped and struggled wildly to regain his balance before he threw himself down on the tree limb and hugged it with all fours.

"What the fuck was that?!" Her annoying partner blubbered. "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Stop shouting." Mika told him sternly, sounding quite calm despite the fact that the bridge they was been watching was now in bits and pieces, chunks of stone and mortar floating down the river as smoke obscured everything in front of them. "Someone else is after our target."

The man beside her gulped. "Oh."

"We need to get to the target before they do." Mika looked at her partner with calculating eyes. "If we don't bring back the noble's head then we don't get paid. And if I don't get paid, I'm killing you."

She said the last sentence with such nonchalance that the rogue nin had to blink twice before the words registered. "W-what?"

But Mika was already leaping off the tree and down to the road below, running towards the bridge and being swallowed up by the smoke. The ash stung her eyes but she ignored it was she pulled her Blodrun from its sheath, the weapon humming as if sensing a fight. Feeling the road turn to cobblestone below her feet, Mika slowed down to edge towards the bridge, walking blindly in the thick smolder. She stilled as she heard voices.

"Well whattaya know, that fucking pansy was right." One voice drawled, its tone harsh and cruel. "That shit had got some kick!"

"You weren't supposed to use all of it." Another voice grumbled in reply, deeper than any voice Mika had ever heard before, filled with annoyance.

"You know how much of a fucking faggot Deidara can be." The first voice replied while tinged with humor. "I had to make sure the fucking bridge blew up somehow."

"I am very determinedly resisting the urge to behead you. Again." The deeper voice growled.

Through the haze Mika spotted movement, and as her eyes focused, she recognized the red clouds on black background that fluttered in the wind. Her eyes widened.

_Akatsuki._

She did not know whether to curse such bad luck, or praise the spirits for good luck. For one thing, she had lost her leads on the Akatsuki for the past month, much to her annoyance. Then again, finding herself competing with them for the same target was suicide.

Mika padded silently towards the bridge, stepping over the bodies of men and horses as she approached the coach under the cover of the smoke. It was fading fast, so she knew that she had to be quick. Ducking into the remains of the carriage, Mika saw a rather pudgy man lying dazedly on a slightly crispy cushion. His eyes blinked confusedly at her for a second before his gaze locked onto her slashed hitai-ate.

The noble's mouth opened to yell for his guards, but Mika lunged forward and covered his mouth with her hand, while her Blodrhun morphed into a rather long dagger which she used to slice his jugular.

Blood sprayed across her face and chest. Then Mika's Blodrhun developed into a thicker, longer, serrated knife which was clearly meant to cut through flesh, and she set to work severing the head. Mika was unbothered by splashes and squelching of blood as it covered her body. In fact, she was almost severing the head unconsciously, her senses trained on the world outside, listening for footfalls or voices that would warn her of the Akatsuki's proximity.

The edges of the knife made a spine-tingling rasping sound as it encountered the spinal column, and Mika quickly froze to listen for the Akatsuki.

"…fucking idiot. Who do you think you are?"

That voice belonged to one of the Akatsuki.

"Yokuma." That voice belonged to her idiot of a partner. "You are Akatsuki?"

Mika tuned them out, focusing once again on the corpse before her, thankful that the idiot was good for something. She just had to sever the bone before he was done stalling the Akatsuki.

Her green eyes studied the angle of the blade and the thickness of the spine before she huffed. This wouldn't be pretty. Spitting some of the blood that had wormed its way past her lips, Mika braced the head between her forearm and hand and suddenly twisted –

_Crack!_

With the neck snapped, Mika quickly slipped her Blodrhun between the two joints where the vertebrae had split the and wriggled the blade until they were stressed to the seams. Then Mika leaned all of her weight onto the handle of the blade and with a final crack, the head came off.

With the Blodrhun in her right hand and grasping the hair of the noble's head in the other, Mika gave a huff, eyeing the portly body of the man who she had just decapitated. "Took long enough." She grumbled at the head in her hand.

With the carriage collapsed around her, Mika carefully maneuvered her body so that she did not knock anything down upon herself. Her position forced her to crawl backwards out of the coach, dragging the severed head with her, the frightened expression of the lord staring at her as she did so.

_{*~*~*}_

Hidan smirked lazily at the third-rate missing-nin before him. This Yokuma guy did not actually think he stood a chance, did he? It was laughable.

"I don't want to fight you." Yokuma said in a placating manner, holding his hands up in a show of peace. "I just need the head of the noble."

Beside Hidan, Kakuzu scoffed. "So willing to give up? You're nothing but a dog out for scraps. If you wanted the lord's head, you have to take it for yourself. What a pathetic excuse for a shinobi."

Hidan grinned and took a threatening step forward, his blood alighting at the sight of the man's face filling with fear. Bloodlust radiated off of the Jashin worshipper as his grip on his three-bladed scythe tightened and he twirled it around lazily.

"So can I kill him, Kakuzu?" Hidan growled hungrily, not really looking for Kakuzu's approval but not willing to listen to the old man's bitching afterwards. Out of the corner of his eye Hidan saw his partner nod, and his grin widened. "Prepare yourself for sacrifice, bitch!"

Yokuma screamed like a little girl as the Akatsuki member flew at him. Hidan's scythe sliced deeply into the man's side, spattering blood everywhere. Without waiting for the man's reaction, Hidan had already tasted the blood. His transformation was instant, his skin darkening to a pitch black, white skeletal-like marking tracing across his body.

"Be quick, Hidan." Kakuzu interrupted his glee. "I want to get this job done quickly."

"Fucking cock-sucking, thrice-damned bitching heathen…" Hidan muttered under his breath as he commenced with his religious practice.

"You do realize that I am standing right here." Kakuzu deadpanned. "And despite my age my hearing is perfectly fine."

"You're fucking ruining the mood, ya prick!" Hidan muttered, angrily stabbing his victim in the chest as he whirled to glare at his partner. Then realizing what he had done, Hidan turned back to where Yokuma lay dying. "Dammit ya shithead! Look what you made me do! This guy ain't any use to me dead!"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes. "You're the one who killed him."

The two Akatsuki members were interrupted by the sound of someone grunting. These sounds originate from the coach, where they now also heard the slight creaking of wood. Hidan and Kakuzu turned to the look at the broken carriage, where a redheaded kunoichi emerged.

The kunoichi was wearing a scratched out Kusa headband around her neck, above a black mask that covered the lower half of her face. Messy red hair framed her face, a braid slipping over her shoulder. All of her clothes were black: black boots, black pants, a black breast band that could be seen through a mesh netted top, also black.

The woman stood up with a huff, turning to them with carefully. Green eyes widened at the sight of her dead partner.

"You killed him."

Hidan grinned lecherously at the kunoichi. "Aw, do you miss your friend here?"

To his surprise, the kunoichi tossed him what could have been an exasperated expression, although it was hard to tell with the blank mask that slid over her features.

"No." The redhead scoffed. "You saved me the trouble of doing so myself."

With the woman standing confidently in front of the most feared criminals across the continent, a wicked looking blade hanging loosely in her right hand, a severed head from another, covered in blood and reeking of death, Hidan couldn't help but grin. And with the bored expression that she was giving them, even Kakuzu seemed amused.

"My kind of woman." Hidan murmured with a suggestive glint in his eye. The kunoichi gazed at him reproachfully.

"Ew. As if." She snapped, repulsed.

The humor drained away from Hidan at the blow to his male pride, while Kakuzu let out a bark of laughter.

"Alright, girly, give us the head and we won't kill you." Hidan growled.

The kunoichi gave both Akatsuki members a measured look. "I'm not stupid."

And suddenly the kunoichi was gone, flash-stepping into the woods. Without a word Hidan and Kakuzu were after her, sprinting through the trees as they followed her chakra signal. Hidan caught up to her first, and with a loud battle cry, swung his scythe down upon her head.

Mika swerved to the left, letting gravity take hold of her and pull her down from the branches where Hidan had come from. Like a cat she landed gracefully on her feet, already dashing into the forest. When the Akatsuki members had lost sight of her, Mika quickly shoved the severed head into a hole of a tree, then continued onwards to draw them away from it.

She hissed as lightning arced through the clearing, searing her left forearm. Digging her feet into the ground, Mika twirled around to face the two Akatsuki members. Without thought her hand had withdrawn her Blodrhun, feeling the familiar numbing of emotion as calm and calculation took its place. The darkness of the Blodrhun washed over her, her veins blackened, and fire raced through her veins with raging pain that she was so accustomed to.

"Let's play, boys."

* * *

><p><strong>Cutting it off there because this chapter is getting long. I know all hate cliffhangers, but hey, now you know to stay tuned for the next chapter!<strong>

**Read & Review my lovely readers!**

**Lots 'O Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	14. Chapter 13: Everybody's Fool

**Ugh, I know I've been horrible about updating lately. I'm sorry, I will try harder to get back to you lovely readers, I promise. I completed this about a month ago, but I didn't like the chapter so I waited another month to tweak it into something that I liked.**

**With that, this chapter is almost, **_**almost**_** twice as long as the usual chapters for this story.**

** DISCLAIMER: Is this really necessary?**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Thirteen: Everybody's Fool<em>

_We are monsters, you and I_

_Deep within all humans is the power to destroy_

_We corrupt what we touch_

_We poison what we raise_

_The whispers in your mind_

_Dark thoughts that you dare not admit to_

_I see them_

_Do you dare deny me?_

_{*~*~*}_

_Perfect by nature.  
>Icons of self-indulgence.<br>Just what we all need,  
>More lies about a world that never was and never will be.<em>

_Have you no shame? Don't you see me?  
>You know you've got everybody fooled.<em>

_Look, here she comes now._  
><em>Bow down and stare in wonder.<em>  
><em>Oh, how we love you.<em>  
><em>No flaws when you're pretending.<em>

_Somehow now you're everybody's fool._

_{*~*~*}_

Mika flexed her fingers around the hilt of her Blodrhun, her eyes darting around the darkened forest. The animals had long fled the scene, leaving a stifling silence that was only interrupted by the wind among the leaves.

A surge of chakra alerted Mika to the attack a mere second before it slammed into the ground where she had once stood. The redhead leapt into the trees, her eyes narrowing as smoke billowed up from the crater where a fire jutsu had exploded. Sensing another presence behind her, Mika's Blodrhun quickly morphed into a whip which she then cracked sideways to loop around another tree branch. Jerking her arm towards her, Mika pulled herself away from where Hidan was attacking, hearing the whistle of air as his scythe barely missed her head.

The moment her feet touched the tree trunk Mika was running, her Blodrhun now morphing into a bow and arrow. She leapt from tree to tree, sharp green eyes never losing sight of Hidan and Kakuzu, her torso bending at impossible angles as she released shot after shot, all the while avoiding the elemental jutsu that Kakuzu kept aiming at her.

"Goddammit that hurts like a motherfucker!" Hidan cried as one of her arrows pierced his thigh. He hated to admit it, but this bitch was good. The Jashinist twirled his scythe as the kunoichi released another volley of arrows at him and Kakuzu, the triple-bladed weapon deflecting the shots. Hidan's hand went to his thigh and grabbed the arrow lodged all the way through his leg. But when he made contact with the arrow, Hidan hissed and snatched his hand back.

"What is this shit?!" Hidan muttered angrily, feeling as if an electric current had shot up his entire arm. The arrow looked like it had been carved out of some red stone, heavy and solid all the way through. Black veins crawled along its surface, looking as if they were moving whenever the light hit its surface at a certain angle. Ripping the fabric of his pants away from the wound, Hidan's eyes widened as he saw the blood around the wound stained black, and the veins on his thigh bulging and pulsing with dark matter. "Poison?"

But no, that couldn't be! He was immune to all poisons! Nothing should be able to affect him like this! Hidan suddenly became aware of the pain that was throbbing from the wound, shooting through his body at increasing intervals and gaining strength with each passing minute. He was losing feeling in his left leg by now, and his entire body had begun trembling with the effort that it took to remain standing as weakness spread.

"Hidan!" Kakuzu's voice echoed from far off. "What the fuck are you standing around for?!"

Hidan tried to yell back a scathing retort, but seemed unable to find his voice. His throat felt like it was clogged with cotton, a strange pressure building at the back of his neck. Suddenly coughing and hacking, Hidan was distantly surprised to see black-tainted blood spill from his lips, coating his tongue in a vile taste.

Finally his left leg gave out completely, and Hidan felt his body topple sideways, rolling onto his back. His eyes connected with the sky and then he saw darkness.

_{*~*~*}_

"Sakura?" Shizune's voice startled the pinkette from behind.

Sakura whirled around, carefully sliding the incriminating files in her hands into a less suspicious manila folder labeled for medical purposes. Placing a hand over her chest, Sakura gave a shaky giggle. "Shizune! You scared me!"

Shizune smiled, though it was tinged with confusion. "What are you doing in the records room? There are some sensitive files in here; if a Council member had found you in here you could be in big trouble."

"Oh," Sakura waved her hand absently. "Tsunade sent me here to, and I quote, 'throw this shit in any random drawer'."

"That woman…" The pinkette laughed at Shizune's exasperated sigh. The Hokage's assistant gave Sakura a stern look. "Next time just come get me, okay Sakura? I don't want you getting in trouble for Shisou's laziness."

Sakura stared at her senpai with wide, innocent eyes. "Oh, I didn't realize it was such a big breech in protocol! Gomen, Shizune. It won't happen again." For emphasis, the young medic bowed deeply to Shizune.

Shizune began muttering about Tsunade under her breath as she turned to begin rifling through the file drawers behind her. Sakura took this moment to whirl around and rearrange the files she had been reading out of order, her arms moving fast enough to blur. The files she was to steal were tucked into the plain manila folder and slipped under her uniform vest, while the files left behind lost all semblance of alphabetical order. Grabbing a non-important file on the village crops, Sakura shut the drawer file and approached Shizune.

"Ah, senpai, this was the file Tsunade wanted me to deliver here. Ano…" Sakura rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, giving the raven haired woman a small smile, "I'm not sure where it is supposed to go."

Shizune gave a deep sigh and grabbed the file, wordlessly shooing Sakura out of the file room, telling her not to enter the room again until she had proper authorization.

Sakura kept a placid smile on her face as she left the Hokage tower, gently greeting anyone and everyone that she passed. Civilians welcomed her presence with adoration, while her fellow shinobi hailed her with warm respect. It was with no amount of egoism that Sakura admitted that she was one of the most favored ninja in the village. Although, she thought absently, that Naruto would no doubt gain as much hero-worship as she did, when he finally returned from his journey. She wondered if he would notice a change with her?

Shaking the useless thoughts from her head, the pinkette found herself back at her apartment complex. Forgoing the stairs, the kunoichi simply leapt from the ground to the second story, alighting nimbly on the landing in front of her door.

Opening the door to her apartment was no small feat. If ever asked about it, Sakura would simply shrug and make a comment on how she must have picked up _Kakashi-sensei's_ paranoia. Which was a joke really, she and the jonin had never been close, and rarely ever saw each other these days, let alone spoke to each other. Sakura wasn't bothered by it.

There were several protections upon the door. Visibly, there were warding seals lining the outside of the entrance (something she had 'obtained' from Jaraiya… while he was passed out from spiked sake). People sensitive to chakra would then be able to sense a jutsu held within the door itself, held together by ominously dark chakra –a gift from Etsuyo herself, with damning consequences to anyone who activated it.

Making the appropriate hand signals, then biting her thumb and swiping blood across the door, Sakura watched as the red stain seeped into the wood and disappeared. The kanji around the entrance wavered a little, before the door flared a barely-visible green. Only then did Sakura enter her apartment, closing the door securely behind her and feeling the door flare with chakra again as the wards reset themselves.

The amiable aura around the pinkette suddenly dissipated the constant smile on her face suddenly replaced by a thin, serious frown. Her eyes now held a cold, flinty gaze as she removed the files hidden beneath her shirt, setting them down on the low table in the living room. Within the privacy of her apartment, Sakura's body moved differently than when she was under the scrutiny of Konoha. Here her body moved with a silent, deadly grace in which one movement flowed without pause into the next, never expending more energy than necessary. It was a minute change, and yet one she had to be careful to hide so that powerful shinobi such as the Hokage would not recognize its deeper meanings.

A fresh pot of tea in hand, the pinkette settled down at the low table in the living room, sipping the mint and jasmine mix and feeling her muscles ease. Then with an almost disinterested flick of her fingers, the first file was opened.

A slow, cruel smirk touched the corners of her lips.

_{*~*~*}_

Mika watched with mild curiosity as the Jashinist collapsed onto the ground, his blood turning black where it escaped his body. How interesting. Perhaps he was allergic to Blodrhun? She almost snorted at such a ridiculous thought. Still, she had never seen such an extraordinary reaction to a Blodrhun before.

"That useless sack of shit." A deep voice cursed.

Turning her head away from Hidan, Mika watched as Kakuzu's threads began to whip agitatedly back and forth. His unnerving green and red eyes locked with hers and Mika felt a chill go down her spine. But before the fear could set in, the dark presence of the Blodrhun pushed it out of her mind. Mika could feel the familiar fiery pain that always accompanied the touch of her weapon racing through her veins, feel the adrenaline pulsating and filling her to the brim. She licked her lips and imagined tasting blood, her muscles coiling in anticipation as the Akatsuki member Kakuzu launched himself at her.

This time he used an earth jutsu, one which made large columns of rock shoot out from the ground below and attempt to wrap around her body, where it would squeeze its victims until she was crushed. Mika dodged the rocks with expert ease, her body seemingly in constant fluid motion, flawlessly drifting from one position to the next, bending out of the way of the attacks as if in a dance. She used her speed and small stature to her advantage, slipping out of the jutsu's grasp before it could smash her. Kicking off form the columns of stone, Mika propelled herself through the jutsu towards her opponent.

By the time she had escaped the earth jutsu Kakuzu had already launched an electricity jutsu at her. Rearing back, Mika's Blodrhun morphed itself into a large fan as tall as she was, and by conducting wind chakra through its edges Mika cut through the electricity jutsu. The remnants of the jutsu flew past her, crackling out of existence as the charged particles made her hair stand on end.

"I don't know what you did to Hidan," Kakuzu growled, "But you're really starting to annoy me!"

Mika landed on a fallen tree trunk, eyeing the damage that the Akatsuki had wrought. Half of the forest was gone by now, most of it shredded by Kakuzu's jutsu combination. Dust and debris were everywhere, limiting her view of the battlefield. She thanked Kami that she had managed to take Hidan out before he could become too dangerous. But she had a hunch that Kakuzu was the more powerful of the two, and if he decided to go all-out on her, she was done for.

"Uuuurgh…. Rrrraaagh…."

Mika squinted through the dust as a strange shape began to detach itself from… Kakuzu's back?

"I haven't had to make use of these in a while…" Kakuzu's voice drifted through the haze. "We'll just see how you fair against one, for now."

_What is this guy talking about?_ Mika narrowed her eyes, feeling her Blodrhun liquefy and begin to climb up her arm as she prepared herself for the Third Lesson Technique.

The dust cleared and Mika felt her eyes widen. Kakuzu had removed his cloak, revealing the stitched together mass that was his body. A strange black creature stood behind him, looking as if it was made out of the same threads that held Kakuzu together. The only solid part on the creature was an animalistic mask, painted with blue markings.

_What the…_

"This seems like an unnecessary show of force for a mere head!" Mika called out to the Akatsuki member.

Kakuzu tilted his head and regarded her carefully. "Money makes the world go 'round, kunoichi." He chuckled and then elaborated, "But you are correct in your statement. This is no longer about a ransomed head."

Mika frowned. "Then what are we here for then?"

A dark chuckle escaped Kakuzu. "Simply because I haven't had this good a fight in ages."

And with that said, the creature standing behind Kakuzu opened its mouth and released a beam of lightning so powerful Mika felt its electric surge disrupting the natural energy surrounding her. As the light of the attack eclipsed her form from his view, Mika allowed her Blodrhun to surge to life around her.

The red mass engulfed her entire body instantly, hardening into armor along her torso and limbs, curving into claws on her hands. Unconsciously Mika's mouth curved into a grin as her canines elongated and a growl erupted deep in her throat. The whispers of the Blodrhun's demonic song filled her head, growing into a cacophony of screeches and whispers that seemed to block all reason, leaving only animalistic adrenaline to direct her actions.

In the second Mika transformed, the lightning jutsu struck, shaking the earth. The heat from the attack alone seared the vegetation in the area, leaving carnage in its wake.

"Well." Kakuzu muttered as he stared at the charred area where the kunoichi had once stood. "That was disappointing."

The Akatsuki member made to turn around, but stopped when the silence was interrupted by a rather disturbing cackling.

"_Kukukukuku… Pathetic human…"_

Kakuzu whirled around with narrowed eyes, searching the area before he spotted her. His entire body tensed in shock at what he saw. "What the hell is that?!"

_{*~*~*}_

_Etsuyo will be pleased._ Sakura thought as she opened the last file. She had only been able to obtain five files from the records room, but it would have been foolish to try and take more than that anyway. Too many classified files 'misplaced' tended to raise some eyebrows.

Five faces stared back at her from the papers.

Five faces of ANBU.

Five ANBU captains.

This would be a slow process, but Sakura was patient. There was no rush for this mission, she would be stationed in Konoha for quite some time anyway. The protective wards around the files should have prevented anyone but Morino Ibiki, the head of ANBU, and the Hokage herself from reading the material. However Sakura was easily able to break the seals with the help of the Blodrhun, its dark chakra weakening and breaking most chakra barriers and corrupting the links between the files and any traps that might have been hidden within.

To Sakura's left was a stack of blank parchment that she had stolen from the Tsunade's office (honestly, having a drunkard for a Hokage made her job almost too easy). The papers that classified material was recorded on in Konoha used a chakra-based material that was printed with miniscule warding seals within its fibers. The Hokage's office was the only place one could obtain such a thing, which Sakura had easy access to. Now it was a simple task of copying the information on the files to the blank versions.

Though Sakura had every intention of returning the originals back to the records room (just in case the fakes had any mistakes on them), the jutsu one used to copy information from paper to paper was limited when it came to the chakra parchment. Information printed on the chakra parchment could only be copied onto other chakra parchments, not regular paper that civliians used in their businesses.

It took mere minutes for Sakura to complete her work. She was careful to replace each paper exactly as she had found them into the original files, and then re-applying the various wards and protective jutsu that she had broken moments before.

There were now two stacks of files on the table. The originals on her right and the fakes on her left. Their papers were exactly the same. Sakura double-checked the wards around her apartment before casting a summoning jutsu.

An image of a woman flickered across from her before an apparition of Haruno Etsuyo appeared before her, seated across from Sakura as if they had been sharing tea. The old woman's piercing gaze swept across the files.

"The replicas are flawless." Sakura told her, raising one hand to slide the files over to Etsuyo and opening up the top most one, the files already facing the clan leader.

Etsuyo's sharp jade eyes flickered side to side as she scanned the documents. "Very good, Sakura." She murmured. "Take these to the drop point tonight at midnight."

Sakura flipped the papers closed, and then bowed deeply to her superior as Etsuyo's form flickered and disappeared.

"Hai, Etsuyo-sama."

_{*~*~*}_

It was a most interesting turn of events. Lounging quite comfortably in the treetops, far enough away from the battle taking place that he felt no danger and yet close enough to admire the ferocity of the fighters, a masked Akatsuki member observed with sharp eyes. Zetsu always kept tabs on the various members of Akatsuki even when they were unaware of it, and had alerted him to the curious fight taking place between Kakuzu and a rogue kunoichi. It was not often a shinobi could hold their own against Kakuzu for very long.

Kakuzu's electric heart suddenly shot a powerful beam of lightning to where the kunoichi had been standing, the crackling and screeching of the electric current grating on his ears while the heat from the beam caused the air around them to waver. Where it had touched the land was left charred and decimated, trees shredded to their core, bark and earth blackened, ash floating in the air. It seemed as if that was the end of the rogue kunoichi. Muttering in disappointment, Kakuzu started to walk away when something caused both Akatsuki members to freeze.

"_Kukukukuku… Pathetic human…"_

Madara leaned forward, suddenly very interested.

The shadows where the charred landscape was began to flicker, slowly moving forwards to conglomerate where the kunoichi had been standing, despite that it was midday. With each passing second the black mass became darker and darker, until it seemed as if there was a void in the fabric of reality, a darkness which consumed all light and color. The dark shape began to stretch upwards to the sky, taking on a vaguely humanoid shape.

"_Kukuku…"_

The chilling laughter sounded vaguely female, but the voice was twisted, sounding raspy and grating, giving the listener the urge to wince at its harsh sound. The figure had stopped growing and now seemed to wait among the unnatural shadows. Bloodlust radiated off the darkness in waves, almost suffocating in its intensity. When the dark creature finally took a step forward, the shadows seemed to break from it, revealing what had once been a kunoichi.

_What is that?!_ Madara's eyes widened behind his mask, before narrowing into a calculating stare. The kunoichi's body seemed to be covered in a red fabric from the neck to her feet. The same red material seemed to flow straight into the armored pieces of her outfit, as if somehow able to change its density. The armor looked as if it had been carved as a whole from polished red stone, shoulder pads, elbow and knee guards, even the breastplate. Even with his enhanced eyesight Madara could not see one chain or link or break in the armor that would suggest that it was made from separate articles. Most curious was the lack of gloves or shoes. Instead, the kunoichi's hands and feet had grown claws of ruby red, gleaming as if dipped in blood.

A feral grin stretched unnaturally wide on the kunoichi's face, elongated canines poking down from her upper jaw. Her eyes had grown larger and longer as well; the orbs completely black and reflecting light in a manner reminiscent of nocturnal predators. Red markings scrawled across her face and the skin where it was not covered by the strange outfit. Her body hunched forward slightly, crouching like a predator preparing to strike.

"_You sssshould ffffeel honored…" _ The vaguely feminine, raspy voice uttered from deep within the kunoichi's chest, her mouth exaggerating the pronunciation of the words due to her enlarged fangs. Her eyes locked onto Kakuzu, although it was hard to tell from the lack of an iris or pupil. "_I havvvve not mmmet an opponnnent worthyyyy of thissss formmmm until nowwwwww…"_

And with that she attacked.

Kakuzu's heart began attacking with lightning jutsu, but the kunoichi was moving so fast that it hardly mattered. If it wasn't for Madara's sharingan he doubted he would have been able to keep his eyes on her body as she dodged the electric strikes with shameful ease. She actually seemed to by toying with the mass of threads that contained Kakuzu's heart, running up and down its limbs and causing it to shoot at itself.

The kunoichi flickered and suddenly appeared on the back of the creature. Her mouth was open in an animalistic snarl as she pulled her arm back and then plunged it into the mass of threads. Madara watched in fascination as her claws cut through the threads like butter, clenching around Kakuzu's beating heart, and savagely ripping it out.

Kakuzu cried out in anger and agony. The kunoichi leapt off the mass of threads as they crumbled apart, no longer supported by the heart's chakra, collapsing in a heap on the ground. She landed lightly beside the fallen creature that was once Kakuzu's source of lightning chakra, his heart still weakly beating in her hand. Her claws pricked the surface of the organ, causing small streams of blood to drip down her arm.

Black, soulless eyes gazed at Kakuzu in amusement, not breaking contact as she raised her arm to lick the blood.

"_Yessss… ffffeel pain… ssscream fffor me…." _ Delighted laughter drifted from the kunoichi, tinged with madness. _"It will make your death ssssweeter…"_

Madara glanced at the fallen form that was Hidan, and then at the crippled form of Kakuzu. He decided that he had seen enough.

_{*~*~*}_

This time around Sakura waited until darkness had fallen before making another journey to the records room. The sun had just set beneath the horizon, and most of the employees of the Hokage Tower were well on their way home. Only the constant ANBU guards remained, their forms like shadows against the plaster walls.

Sakura did not bother to disguise herself, and plainly walked towards the front door of the tower from the main street. She was not surprised as one of the guards peeled away from the shadows to appear at her elbow the moment Sakura began fiddling with the door's lock.

"ANBU-san." Sakura greeted softly but with a congenial smile to ease the tension in the masked man's shoulders. As the apprentice to the Hokage, she had her own key into the tower, and the door unlocked and creaked open as she spoke.

The ANBU placed a warning hand on her arm. "Forgive my rudeness, Haruno-san, but the tower has already closed. Please state your business here."

The man's voice was gruff and lowered. Sakura did not recognize it.

"Ah! Gomen, ANBU-san." Sakura sighed guiltily. "I forgot some of my paperwork in the Shisou's office, and I'm afraid it is something that Tsunade-sama will be expecting complete and on her desk come morning! I really need those papers!"

Sakura stared up into the eerie porcelain mask of a monkey, her wide jade eyes pleading. She could practically feel the man's defenses slipping, and she gave him a small, hopeful smile for extra persuasion.

"Fine." The ANBU agent muttered. "But I must escort you there."

"Oh of course." Sakura dipped her head respectfully. "Arigato!"

She heard the ANBU agent mutter under his breath as he turned and waved to his partners that the situation was under control. Then he followed her into the darkened halls of the Hokage tower. Sakura did not hesitate as she led him to the Hokage's office, once again using her personal keys to unlock the door and let the two shinobi in.

She crossed the room with confident strides, her fingers fluttering anxiously over the papers that Tsunade had scattered across her desk. The woman never bothered to organize her documents.

"Where could they be?" Sakura muttered under her breath in exasperation, just loud enough for the ANBU agent to hear her. "Oh! There's one… Honestly, Shisou, You can't even keep them together…"

The moment the ANBU agent had turned his back in boredom, Sakura cast a swift genjutsu that froze the man in place. Warily, Sakura approached the ninja from behind, removing his mask to make sure that his eyes were in a milky white haze that signaled her genjutsu. She set the mask on one of the office's guest chairs before darting out of the room.

Her feet were silent as she raced towards the records room. Her time working in the tower had given her insight to its defenses and weaknesses. The traps that littered the hallway leading to the records room were easily averted for the lithe kunoichi. Pulling out her Blodrhun, familiar pain laced through her arm as she held the weapon against the door. Invisible barriers suddenly glowed green as the warding kanji were revealed and the Blodrhun's dark chakra began to eat away at the barriers. A pleasant rumble sounded in Sakura's mind as her weapon sucked away the protections greedily until the kanji were rendered ineffective. Sakura's fingers touched the door, and aside from a slight tingling, the wards did not stop her from entering.

However this did not mean that the wards had been broken. If that had happened an alarm would have sounded to alert the Hokage and Council members. The Blodrhun merely sapped the chakra that powered the wards. Sakura had ten minutes until the wards could begin recharging with chakra, and that was more than enough time.

Slipping over to the drawer Shizune had found her at not two days before, Sakura withdrew the stolen files from her uniform and replaced the missing files in their original spots. Then she flipped through the titles of the others quickly, taking five more files and slipping them under her vest.

In less than three minutes she was out of the room, sealing it just as she had found it. She was careful to avoid the booby-traps in the hallway before breaking into another silent run towards the Hokage's office.

The sight of a white eyed ANBU greeted her at the doorway, his jaw slack and muscles frozen in the same state as she had left him. Checking his vitals to prevent any side-affects, Sakura grabbed the shinobi's mask and quickly resituated it upon his face. Then she position herself in the exact place that she had been standing and released the genjutsu.

The ANBU's body unlocked itself and he slowly shook his head, ridding himself of a sudden bout of déjà vu.

"Ah!" Sakura huffed softly, opening a drawer on Tsunade's desk and grabbing a blank file. "Here they are. Sorry about this, ANBU-san. I'm ready to leave."

The shinobi turned to the pinkette and nodded silently; guiding her out the door and glancing down the empty hallways as Sakura obliviously locked the door. She turned and led the ANBU towards the tower entrance, the ninja behind her unaware of the few minutes that she had been gone.

"Thanks again for letting me in. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience!" Sakura bowed to the masked man after they had exited the tower and locked the entrance. "You really saved me a lot of trouble though. Tsunade would have had my head!"

The ANBU agent let out a reluctant chuckle. "Don't get used to it Haruno-san. You're lucky everyone knows who you are."

Sakura gave an innocent giggle and bid the ANBU goodnight. Then she rushed back to her apartment, walking with a deliberate stride but not fast enough as to warrant suspicion.

When she reached her apartment, she once again began the process of forging Konoha's information, five more ANBU faces staring blankly up at her.

_**Kill.**_

_**Ravage.**_

_**Feast.**_

Sakura paused in her work as a dark poison slipped into her mind, evil thoughts sliding into her head from distant lands. A sibilant tune crooned ever-so-softly in her ear, echoing from a far off mind. Her own Blodrhun responded with its own whispery song to the far-off reverberation of a familiar mind. Sakura tilted her head, hard jade eyes glinting with curiosity as her lips moved in a whisper.

"Mika?"

_{*~*~*}_

Darkness.

Sweet darkness.

The taste of blood on her lips. The smell of fear in the air. Death and decay. The heart beat weakly in her hand, and Mika reveled in its delicacy. Even the greatest of men are but flesh that can rot and bone to be crushed. The mighty Akatsuki member before her was paralyzed and helpless as her claws pricked the soft, pliable flesh of his heart. The blood was warm as it trickled down her forearm, and Mika's elongated tongue was quick to dart out and have a taste.

Coppery iron. Warmth. Liquid life.

_How easily humans shatter…_ Mika let out another spine chilling laugh. _For all their illusions of immortality…_

The world had narrowed around her, tinged in red. The Blodrhun whispered in her ears, the distant echoes of agonized screaming and moaning trailed behind. Pain flushed through her veins, hot and searing, accompanied by adrenaline. She wanted to claw and rip and shred, to listen to a symphony of screams and cries, wreaking havoc upon the weak mortals of the earth. The urge to devour the heart in her hand nearly over powered all of Mika's control.

But what remained of Mika's mind stayed her hand. _Not yet, _she told herself, fighting the blinding urge to give into the Blodrhun. She had to…

What was it she had to do?

There was a reason…

What reason?

The song of the Blodrhun resounded in her ears, scattering her thoughts before she could form coherency. She had a purpose. She needed… to remember… what?

All that mattered was the prey in front of her. The man who had opposed her and so foolishly challenged the monster inside her. Now he would know true darkness. Unbridled ferocity, broken chains, the predator unbound.

Kill.

Ravage.

Feast.

No, she couldn't, not yet. Mika shook her head, sinking one of her canines into her bottom lip. Remember control. She could not afford to lose herself to the Blodrhun. Not here.

The man she had been fighting _(Kakuzu, his name was Kakuzu and he is Akatuski…) _tensed as he sensed another presence. Mika looked into the treetops as their observer finally revealed himself _(So that was why she could smell another man)_. A masked man dropped down from the forest, ten feet away from where Kakuzu was laboring to breathe.

Mika tilted her head in curiosity, licking her lips and sniffing the air. The new arrival wore a cloak as well _(Akatsuki, that was her mission, remember the mission) _and an orange mask with a whorl centered on his left eye, though the hole remained dark. He smelled of ash and decay, and his chakra was as dark and malevolent as a Blodrhun, overpowering and nearly suffocating her by sheer will of power. It tasted like death.

Unconsciously, Mika took a step back.

"_Ssssso you finally reveal youssselffff…" _ Mika forced her lips to form words, pushing her voice through the inhuman shape of her mouth. _"I thought I ssssensssed another…"_

Meanwhile, Kakuzu eyed the true leader of the Akatsuki warily. Due to his age and relative immortality, Kakuzu was one of the few Akatsuki members aware of Madara's existence. For the elder Uchiha to appear was cause for alarm.

"Madara," Kakuzu murmured, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here?"

The man to whom all attention was focused on seemed unconcerned at the sight of his subordinates nearly defeated, and a barely in-control monster refraining from eating them all alive.

"I'm impressed." A deep voice drawled from behind the orange mask. "There are not many shinobi who can defeat a pair of Akatsuki so easily."

The kunoichi-monster cocked her head in an animalistic gesture and flexed her claws.

"You are an independent missing-nin, are you not?" The man introduced as Madara asked rhetorically. He took a step forward and began talking with his hands. "No village to answer to, no gang of rogue ninja which you owe loyalty. Don't you ever get tired taking on job after job?"

Mika smirked to herself. So this was the man behind the Akatsuki? She could already tell he was quite powerful, if not self-centered. The man's stance and voice was that of a person used to being obeyed and feared by all others.

"_Get to the point, human." _ Mika growled, feeling her control over the Blodrhun waver.

Instead of being offended, the masked man chuckled. "Yes, yes." He waved off her comments lightly. "Well, I don't suppose you are the type to care about world peace?"

Mika's answer was to throw her head back and laugh. _"Hehehe… ssssuch ssssilly idealssss… peacccce isss boring…"_

Madara shrugged. "Then I guess I won't give you that whole spiel. Instead, how does the opportunity to kill without warrant appeal to you? Join me. Join the Akatsuki. Do not demean your abilities by squandering them with inferior rogue ninjas. Surely you are frustrated by a lack of equals? How often do you get to release this monster inside you, kunoichi? It must be tenuous to keep such power in check so often."

Mika was not listening to a word Madara was saying. Pretty words and meaningless promises meant nothing to her. She did intend to join the Akatsuki, so there was really no need for Madara to overexert himself with such appeals. However as Madara became more impassioned, Mika caught a glimpse of something very important.

There was no mistaking the red gleam from within that eye socket.

_An Uchiha?_ Mika thought to herself. The very name caused her blood to boil, and the voices of the Blodrhun song rose in a crescendo. She barely kept herself from wincing at the violent reaction to the wretched clan name, curling her fingers until the claws pressed painfully into her palm to keep herself from losing her sanity.

_They just don't know how to die, do they? _Mika thought viciously, idly wondering if her malignant reaction to the Uchiha name was due to Sakura's hatred of that clan, which somehow spilled into her own conscious, or if the Blodrhun itself felt hatred towards the Uchiha, which had been a rival enemy to the Haruno Clan in ancient times.

"_I tire of you consssstant blithering, human…" _Mika interrupted Madara. _"You need not annoy me with your voicccce any longer…"_

Both Madara and Kakuzu seemed affronted by her blunt response. Mika allowed the corners of her mouth to lift in a dangerous grin, made all the more terrifying by how unnaturally wide her lips stretched and the pointed teeth which gleamed in the sunlight.

"_I acccccept your invitattttttion, Madara-sssssama." _Her voice drawled in amusement.

Mika lazily tossed the organ she had been pawing at for the last half hour towards Kakuzu, who quickly snatched his heart out of the air with his threads, returning it to his chest. She watched with interest as a bi-colored plant man appeared from the ground and grabbed a hold of Hidan's unconscious body, sinking back into the ground and leaving nothing behind.

Madara's stance relaxed and a dark chuckled slipped from his mask. "What is your name, kunoichi?"

The sensation of warm liquid traveling across her skin accompanied the reversal of the Third Lesson, her claws withdrawing into nails, the armor sinking like ink into her skin, the red of her outfit traveling up her legs, torso, and left arm, across her chest, and down her right arm, where the ruby substance then merged together until all that was left was her Blodrhun. Mika opened her eyes to reveal hard, jade eyes, her sclera still tainted black due to the after effects of the Third Lesson. All across her body the veins stood out against her skin, pulsing black as the poison of the Blodrhun had yet to fade. The wide, mad grin she had worn shrunk until it was once again to normal size, her canines retreating to regular sized teeth, and her facial features calmed until she was once again an impassive Haruno.

Mika blinked a couple times as the insanity brought on by the Third Lesson cleared from her head, and she once again asserted control over herself.

She turned back to Madara, sheathing her Blodrhun as her face slipped into a stoic mask. "Call me Mika."

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEWS ARE LOVE<strong>

**So, Mika is with the Akatsuki now. And Sakura is being naughty. :3 Blodrhun transformations are scary, no?**

**Lots 'O Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	15. Chapter 14: Queen's Play

**Rejoice my readers! This chapter turned out twice as long as I had planned. So I do have an excuse as to why it took so long:**

**I had written this chapter and was close to finishing it two weeks ago. AND THEN IT DELETED ITSELF. ARRRRGH I hate technology!**

**Anyway, I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><span>Chapter Fourteen: Queen's Play<span>_

_It is not easy to smother one's humanity._

_The heart sings for freedom._

_But each time I remember its sweet song_

_I come crashing down._

_And I am reminded_

_There is no escape._

_We are tools._

_I only exist so long as I am useful._

_{*~*~*}_

_They all need something to hold on to  
>They all mean well<br>Pay your respects to society giving me hell_

_You could never feel my story  
>It's all you know<br>You could never feel my story  
>It's all you know<em>

_I will (not) fold_  
><em>She's in control<em>  
><em>I will (not) fold<em>  
><em>She's in control of everyone and everything<em>

_{*~*~*}_

_Drip._

_Drip._

_Drip._

Sakura held her breath as a masked ninja slowly walked by her, his feet silent on the wet concrete. When the ANBU Root member reached the end of the tunnel, he turned and was gone. Relaxing, the pinkette stepped out of the shadows, the darkness falling away from her. With quick movements she knelt down and took out a small sheet of paper, barely the size of an exploding tag. Flattening the piece of parchment just above where the wall met the walkway, the paper suddenly glowed with red kanji before the ink faded to black.

Sakura stood up and silently made her way through the sewers, repeating the process at regular intervals. At the same time, she was creating a mental map of the tunnels which spanned under the village. She already had a couple schematics that she had sent back to Etsuyo-sama, but it did not hurt to double-check. There were a couple tunnels which were no longer usable, collapsed or unstable, which she would have to be sure to cross out on her diagrams. Others had never been mapped before, probably having not been a part of the initial building of the tunnels, and perhaps added on by Danzo since he set up Root.

Glancing down at the watch on her wrist, she realized that morning was soon arriving. Sakura sighed, turning to retrace her steps. She came upon an iron ladder, bolted to the side of the tunnel and leading upwards into darkness. Without hesitation she began to climb.

Sakura emerged in an old abandoned drugstore, on the edges of the less-than-friendly part of Konoha. The sewer entrance had probably once been used by drug gangs, hidden in a storage room in the back of the shop. Sakura carefully moved a couple heavy boxes on top of the entrance to block it and keep it hidden, despite the fact that no one ever visited the abandoned building anymore. She was careful to the point of paranoia, but it was probably why she had yet to be caught.

Closing her eyes, Sakura sent out a miniscule pulse of chakra, checking to see if any living beings were in the area. Her attention was brought to her left, where a homeless man seemed to be huddle fast asleep against the wall of the alley outside the drugstore. Sakura frowned. Despite the fact that the man was hardly a threat, she decided not to take any chances.

The back door to the building had been broken into long ago, the door barely still attached by its hinges and swinging idly in the wind. Sakura slipped out this way, turning into the darkened shadows of the alleyway. She could barely make out the man's body, shivering under a mound of trash.

Her hand closed around the hilt of her Blodrhun, the weapon singing in her grip as she drew it. A red blade emerged, and in a single action, she grabbed the homeless man and dragged him out from under the filth. Before the man was even fully awake he was already dead, surprise already fading from his eyes as Sakura pulled her dagger out of his chest, the Blodrhun absorbing the blood.

Unceremoniously, Sakura dropped the man back into the pile and kicked a couple more pieces of trash over his body to keep it hidden. Then she turned and disappeared into the night.

She kept out of sight as she made her way across the city, avoiding the rooftops so that she would not be sensed by shinobi. Finally she reached her apartment, carefully bypassing the deadly wards which guarded her home.

As soon as the front door closed behind her Sakura spun around on her heel and glared into a shadowy corner of the living room. Despite the lack of feeling on her facial features, the hard edge to her voice spoke of her anger. "What do you think you are doing here?"

The soft shadows darkened for a moment before peeling away to reveal her red-headed cousin and sister-in-arms. Mika, unconcerned by Sakura's ire, languidly strode into the room and sank onto the couch. "I bring news, sister."

Sakura's mouth showed the slightest tilt of a frown as she removed the black porcelain mask she had worn during her nightly adventure, peeling off her black gloves and removing her mud-encrusted boots, making a mental note to clean them in the morning. In her nin-pants and long-sleeved black shirt, she joined Mika on her living room couch, folding her legs under gracefully, a stark contrast to the sprawled form of the red-head. "There are safer ways of relaying information to me. We cannot risk getting caught –"

"Calm yourself." Mika murmured, "I have permission from Etsuyo-sama to meet with you."

"Is that wise?" Sakura countered with an equally hushed tone, neither woman having to raise their voice despite argument.

Mika shrugged in response. "I do not think we have to worry. Konoha's defenses are almost too easy to evade. It is practically begging for invasion."

Sakura cast a quick glance at Mika, cutting off the subject with a stern look. Mika chuckled but abided by the pinkette's request.

"Anyway," Mika continued, "I have good news, and I wanted to tell you myself.

Sakura blinked in response to her cousin, waiting patiently for her to go on. Despite their equally impassive faces and impartial body language, Sakura could feel Mika's excitement through their mental bond. The pinkette already had her suspicions about Mika's update, but knew that there was no one else MIka could express herself with. And she could give her dear friend that much.

Mika's stoic expression broke like a shattered mask, suddenly revealing a feral grin and emerald eyes glittering with the delight of victory. "I have infiltrated the Akatsuki."

Sakura allowed herself a small smile in response to Mika's malicious cheer. Mika's voice sounded bland despite her exclamation, however it was the equivalent of a normal person jumping for joy. "Congratulations." Sakura murmured softly.

With the soft moment ended, Mika's face shuttered shut as she returned to business. "This leads me to my next reason for being here, sister. I need you to look into something for me."

Sakura tilted her head in a disinterested manner. "As long as I do not have to leave the village."

Mika nodded. "I do not think that you will have to leave the village, except perhaps to explore the annals of the Haruno library. My request is this: look into a connection between the demonic origins of the Blodrhun and a demonic entity named Jashin."

"Jashin?" Sakura furrowed her brows slightly, mouthing the unusual word.

Mika nodded, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "During my fight to prove myself to the Akatsuki, I shot a worshipper of Jashin with a Blodrhun arrow. The Blodrhun reacted differently to his blood than it does with normal people. It seemed to poison him, as if he was more vulnerable to it than normal humans."

"If he also has a demonic connection, would that not give him some measure of immunity to the Blodrhun?" Sakura asked, though her tone was neutral, nearly bored.

Mika shrugged. "Obviously not. Anyway, if we can find out how this intensifies the torture of the Blodrhun, we may be able to enhance its power, or at least increase the amount of pain that it causes."

Sakura's emotionless expression broke for the first time as a cruel smirk formed on her lips. "Interesting."

The redhead rolled her neck, her head lolling back as she stared idly out the window. Silence stretched between the two as Mika allowed herself to close her eyes and relax. She did not react when she felt Sakura's weight leave the sofa and followed her subdued chakra signature as she silently walked into her room.

A couple minutes passed by as Sakura changed out of her attire and into more comfortable sweatpants and a large T-shirt. She emerged from her room and glanced at her cousin still dozing on the couch. It was a rare sign of exhaustion from the Haruno woman.

_Mika?_ Sakura's mind touched her partner's, inquiring of her health in not so many words. Mika responded with waves of reassurance, although tinted by fatigue.

_Sleep here._ Sakura commanded when she realized the state of Mika's health. The redhead nodded silently and hefted herself up from the couch. While Mika entered Sakura's room to changed out of her uniform, Sakura went to the kitchen and made some tea.

The pinkette joined her cousin in the bedroom, handing the redhead a cup of tea. Mika accepted and began sipping idly while Sakura closed the curtains. The two Harunos quietly settled onto Sakura's bed, finishing their tea in silence. Then they laid down to rest, their minds never disconnecting as equal parts comfort and pain were shared between the two. Once Mika joined the Akatsuki, Sakura would not see her again for a long time. This was their goodbye.

_{*~*~*}_

When Sakura woke up, Mika had been long gone. The only sign of her presence were the borrowed pajamas folded at the end of her bed and a soft, fading scent emanating from the sheets opposite Sakura. The pinkette felt nothing at this, merely rising to put away the folded clothes and getting dressed for the day.

Idly she glanced at the calendar hanging in her bathroom and realized that the four year mark would be coming to an end. Naruto would be returning from his training with the Sannin Jaraiya at the end of the month. Interesting.

Shaking her thoughts of the future from her head, Sakura continued about her day, working at the hospital until evening and checking in with Tsunade at the end of the day for some last-minute training. After completing everything for the female Sannin, Sakura requested the weekend off to visit her family at the Haruno compound. Naturally, Tsunade agreed to it, seeing nothing amiss with Sakura visiting her odd clan. But oh how much she would have regretted, if only she knew.

_{*~*~*}_

No one greeted Sakura as she passed the Haruno ninja guarding the entrance to the compound. They silently acknowledge her as one of their own by letting her through, but other than that Sakura rarely even made eye-contact with the other inhabitants. She walked calmly through the narrow streets, the only sounds were murmuring voices and the occasional bark of a dog.

The Haruno compound was always subdued. It seemed eternally sheathed in mountain mist, the air damp and cold. Sakura had never seen sunlight touch the compound, for it seemed like the only way light touched the area was through the filter of fog.

She entered the main house without hindrance, ordering one of the younger Harunos to relay a message to Etsuyo-sama to let the clan head know of her arrival. Though Sakura doubted that Etsuyo-sama would bother coming to greet her in person, since the pinkette was only there to peruse the Haruno library.

Even though Sakura was hardly the type to stress anymore, she felt her muscles relaxing as she entered the library and inhaled the familiar scent of parchment. Though Sakura was unsure of just how much information and which subjects the Harunos kept, she concentrated on her mission.

At the moment, Sakura was standing in the section on mythology, folklore, and clan history. She held a book detailing the Blodrhun's demonic origins in her hands, and though the facts were interesting, she did not read too much. For the past half hour the pinkette had been scanning various tomes for even the mention of the name 'Jashin'. So far she had only one lead, which had been a scroll written by a monk on the kingdoms of Hell. But all that told her was that this 'Jashin' was a demonic king of some sort. Still no word linking it to the Blodrhun.

"Sakura-chan, funny meeting you here."

Sakura glanced up passively from the book she held, eyeing the scarlet-haired Haruno. His green eyes glinted with dangerous mischief as Hikaru folded his arms and leaned against the bookshelves. Then she turned away from him and returned to her research.

"Ignoring me?" Hikaru teased.

"Annoying me." Sakura muttered, snapping the book in her hand closed and turning to place it on a dangerously tall pile of books deemed 'useless'. Her gaze returned to the bookshelves and she picked out the next book that seemed semi-promising.

"I'm hurt, darling." Hikaru drawled, pushing off the bookshelf to wander over to the books that she had read previously, kneeling and tilting his head so that he could read their titles. "Hm? Books on divinity and demons? What are you looking for, little Haruno?"

Sakura was hardly fazed by his mocking voice. She had learned through the years that Hikaru was hardly as friendly as he seemed at first glance. In fact, Hikaru was one of the most dangerous of all the Harunos due to the fact that he had no self-control, which made him susceptible to the wild bloodlust of the Blodrhun. The weaker Harunos would try to avoid him altogether, for Hikaru had no qualms about randomly killing his family members just to amuse himself. He was a rabid dog, in Sakura's opinion, barely leashed. And for some reason, he had taken a liking to her.

"Before Mika left to live with the Akatsuki," Sakura explained absently while still scanning the literature before her, "She asked me to look into something for her."

"Involving demons?" Hikaru walked up behind her, his chest to her back, his heat scorching, as he looked down over her shoulder to read the book in her hands.

"Involving the origins of the Blodrhun." Sakura muttered, frowning at Hikaru's proximity and moving away to place another book upon the stack. She was hyperaware of his movements, too close and too dangerous. Turning around and ignoring the his burning gaze, Sakura glanced at a scroll at the top shelf and frowned.

"Hikaru-san, would you mind getting that for me?" Sakura questioned, pointing to the scroll.

The man chuckled darkly and easily reached for the top of the bookcase, and Sakura felt momentary jealously at his height.

"Ordering me around so easily?" Hikaru chided as he handed the scroll to her. "And there is no need to be so formal, cousin."

Sakura accepted the scroll with a small nod of thanks. "You're here, you might as well be useful." The pinkette murmured as she opened the scroll and began reading. Her eyes narrowed and she resisted the urge to smirk. This was it!

"Most members of the clan are too afraid to even look at me, let alone get cheeky with me." Hikaru's voice was low and velvety, which would have sent warning bells off in Sakura's head had she been paying attention. Instead she did not seem to even hear him as she walked towards a table and spread out the scroll, her eyes locked on the script as she sat down in a chair to study it.

"_The Seven Kingdoms of Hell: the Final Wrath._

_The Kingdom of Wrath is an infinite battlefield. Here the most dangerous demonic tribes clash in an everlasting battle for dominance. There are five demon tribes currently identified, led by their kings: Morg, Kaguya Raito, Jashin, and Karn._

_Each demon tribe has various domains…_

"This is it…" Sakura muttered, her fingers trailing lightly across the page.

"Oi, are you even listening to me, girly?" Hikaru asked, offended at her lack of attention.

Leaning away from the tabletop, Sakura rolled her eyes and finally turned back to the scarlet-haired Haruno. "Must you be such a child?"

Hikaru grinned, his canines sharp and pronounced, one of the side-effects of using the Third Lesson with frequency. Other effects of the Third Lesson that had left a toll on his body was the permanent increase in speed, stamina, and heightened senses. Of course it was not without a price, or else the other Harunos would have followed in his footsteps. Overuse of the Third Lesson destabilized one's humanity. Hikaru's thought process was more beast than animal, and his thirst for blood was unquenchable. He was insane, and only Etsuyo-sama or Kashinu could reign in his bloodlust.

Sakura stiffened when Hikaru ran his sharpened nails –though they more resembled claws –down the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades. Hikaru was not exuding killer intent, but he was still emanating danger, to which her Blodrhun did not respond favorably. _The nerve… He thinks he is stronger than us… Put him in his place…_In the back of her mind, she could hear its whispers increase feverishly, an angry buzzing reverberating at the base of her skull.

"I don't like to be dismissed so easily…" Hikaru purred, standing behind her seated form and looming over her shoulder. He leaned down until his cheek brushed hers and he rested his nose in the dip of her collarbone, breathing in her scent. His pointed fingers tangled themselves in her hair, his fingertips tracing the line of her jawbone.

_Hunter hunter hunter…_ The Blodrhun chanted angrily in her head, echoes of distant screeches brushing against her inner senses as the beast within stirred. Sakura could feel the monster that lay beneath her skin awaken, and it was not pleased at this challenge of dominance. _He knows not what he toys with, pathetic mongrel… Destroy him… Feast on his flesh drink his blood crush his heart rip tear roar!_

Sakura sealed her eyes shut as she pushed down the urge to reach for the Blodrhun sheathed at her side, silently urging her to take it, to use it, to release the Third Lesson and attack Hikaru.

"That is enough, Hikaru." Sakura said with a heavy tone, opening her eyes with a hard glare, though she dare not turn her head where he rested against her shoulder.

"There you go ordering me about again." Hikaru chuckled, and to her astonishment, he dragged his teeth against the thin skin of her collarbone.

Her veins burned like fire and Sakura whirled around out of her seat, her hand flying up to grab his neck.

Hikaru easily countered and soon the two were sparring within the confines of the library. They kept their movements small, of course, to minimalize the damage done to the precious tomes. Still, Sakura and Hikaru were taking turns slamming the other onto the table, neither one having the upper hand for long before they traded places. Hisses and snarls left Sakura lips as Hikaru taunted her with gleaming green eyes and a feral smirk. Finally the pinkette snatched up her Blodrhun and proceeded to the Third Lesson, although only partially in order to maintain control of her mind.

Red crawled up her right arm, encasing it in a second skin up to her shoulder. Her nails grew longer until five inch claws curved sharply from her fingertips. Quick as a whip she lashed out and pinned Hikaru to the floor with her body weight, her right hand gripped securely around his neck as the claw on her thumb sank through the tender flesh of his throat, less than a centimeter from cutting his carotid artery. She could have easily killed him, of course, and only purposely avoided the major artery in an act of mercy.

They were panting ever so slightly, for this was no true fight for either of the dangerous shinobi, and if they had truly wanted to injure the other there would have been no building left over from such a battle, let alone the library. Sakura's jade green eyes clashed with the bright emerald of Hikaru's stare.

A slow, arrogant smile curved upon the male's lips. "Partial transformation, Sakura-chan?" He mused aloud, despite the nail sunk into his neck. "An impressive feat."

"What was the point of your little display earlier?" Sakura snapped with narrowed eyes, having no more patience for the older Haruno and very much unamused.

Hikaru's eyes flicked to their left, and Sakura followed his gaze, somehow not surprised to find their clan leader watching them with an impassive countance. Etsuyo-sama stood regally at the end of the sitting area, just a step beyond the exit of the library. She seemed unsurprised at their violent position, her gaze focused solely on the pinkette. Sakura's face showed no emotion as she turned back to Hikaru, awaiting his explanation.

"Congratulations, little Sakura." Hikaru purred, his hand –which she had not realized he had freed from her grip –running quite suggestively up her thigh. Sakura scowled at him. "You passed."

Sakura scoffed and withdrew from the scarlet-haired man, standing up and pushing his hand away from her. She did not bother to offer the male Haruno a hand to help him up.

With a feline grace which was positively sinful, Hikaru leapt up from his position, ignoring the blood trailing from his neck. His attention went to Etsuyo-sama, the elder Haruno silently regarding her two descendants.

Sakura gazed expectantly at Etsuyo-sama, bowing deeply before addressing the ancient woman. "Etsuyo-sama, may I enquire as to why you felt the need to test me yet again?"

Despite Sakura's calm, soft voice, there was an edge to it that belied her annoyance.

Etsuyo-sama kept her face blank save for the merest uplifted crinkle around her eyes, which may have appeared friendly on anyone else but her.

"Ah Sakura, I assure you it was not due to any doubt upon yourself." Etsuyo-sama spoke with an even voice, voice slightly raspy with age. "I was merely curious as to the extent of your control over the Blodrhun."

"And you felt the need to have Hikaru attack me?" Sakura tilted her head.

"Oh that was not the objective of this, merely additional information." Hikaru snickered from behind her.

Sakura turned her head just barely, looking at Hikaru out of the corner of her eye. Her next question was unspoken, but there was a demanding air about her that nonetheless commanded answers from the insolent Haruno man.

"Etsuyo-sama wished to see if you could dominate me." Hikaru murmured as he once again invaded her personal space, never breaking eye-contact with Sakura as he leaned down to rest his chin upon her right shoulder.

Sakura wanted to push him away, but there were more pressing matters to question before she punished the idiot. Her jade eyes once again returned to lock gazes with Etsuyo-sama. She raised a brow at the elder Haruno.

"Indeed." Etsuyo bowed her head ever so slightly. "You have impressed me. Not many would be able to cow Hikaru-kun into submission. And through your Blodrhun's killer intent, no less."

Was that what she had done? Sakura had not even noticed herself releasing killer intent, let alone combining it with the ever-violent persuasions of the Blodrhun.

"And why did you wish to see this?" Sakura asked her clan head.

A secretive smile carved itself onto the stony façade of Etsuyo-sama, sending chills down Sakura's back at the sight. Any sign of benevolence from the oldest Haruno was inherently wrong, the smile seeming far more frightening and treacherous than if Etsuyo-sama were to snarl in anger. But the clan head never answered Sakura's question.

"He answers to you now, Sakura-chan." Etsuyo-sama commented offhandedly, turning around and walking out the door. "Keep his leash tight."

Sakura's brow furrowed in confusion after the woman left. Her attention was brought back, however, to the daring hands placing themselves on her waist.

Hikaru found himself flying across the library, Sakura's palm leaving a nice, reddening handprint on his cheek.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" She deadpanned, her voice flat and unimpressed.

Hikaru picked himself up languidly, seemingly undisturbed by her punishment of him. "Like Etsuyo-sama said, you are now my superior."

"And what does that have to do with your hands attempting to circumvent my clothing?" Sakura crossed her arms and leaned on one leg.

"There was more than one meaning behind Etsuyo's words, darling." Hikaru licked his lips provocatively. "We Harunos are quite matriarchal. And in not so many words, she just sold myself to you."

If the girl had been drinking anything at the time, Sakura was sure she would have done a spit-take. As it was, her eyes widened ever-so-slightly, which was still quite expressive in the world of the Harunos.

"What."

Hikaru chuckled and shamelessly looked the pinkette up and down, his eyes appreciating the way her hips cocked to her left, the sassy jut of her chin, and the defensive position of her crossed arms, which only reminded him of her lovely breasts hidden beneath.

Sakura did not move as Hikaru approached her once more. He slowly raised his hands and rested them on her shoulders, sliding them down to her elbows. He was surprisingly gentle as he tugged her forward to lean into him, his green eyes suddenly serious as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"By granting myself to you, Etsuyo-sama has implied that I should be your mate." Hikaru stated factually.

Sakura was becoming more bewildered with each passing word, her stoic demeanor crumbling before her eyes.

"In other words, we are engaged."

Shit.

Fuck.

"No."

Sakura pushed Hikaru away and openly glared at him.

He was not insulted by her rejection, shrugging in response. "It's not like she is forcing you to marry me right now. Technically speaking, there is still nothing binding us –no agreements, no promises. Etsuyo-sama was merely suggesting future plans be made between us."

"And if I never want to marry you?" Sakura posed.

Hikaru chuckled humorlessly at her. "No other male within the clan would dare court you against Etsuyo-sama's wishes. If she wants us to marry, you will not be forced into it, however you will not be allowed to marry anyone else."

Of course, Sakura had hardly ever stopped to think about romance given her shinobi training and duties to the clan and to her village (even if she was a spy). She knew that clans often intermarried without any thought to compatibility other than the potential of the progeny, but she had never expected herself to be dragged into clan breeding so soon after her introduction. A couple of years among the Haruno, and still some of the older members were wary of her. Yet the clan leader was already trying to marry her off.

It made no sense.

And yet it did. She was powerful and so was Hikaru. Their children would be the next generation of Harunos, and with their physical and mental prowess, their children would be guaranteed prodigies.

"And you agreed to this, Hikaru?" Sakura retreated from her mind and looked into the eyes of the male Haruno.

"We are tools, Sakura. It doesn't matter if either of us agree." Hikaru shrugged, though a mischievous gleam entered his eye as he gazed at her body. "However I'm not complaining."

Sakura fell into a contemplative silence.

The feeling of his fingers on her cheek interrupted her reverie, and her head shot up in shock. Hikaru's face was carefully devoid of emotion, even his eyes were inscrutable, but the feel of his calloused fingers on her cheeks conflicted with his cold demeanor.

"This will not interfere with your duties. You have the rest of your life to decide when you want the marriage to happen." Hikaru's eyes flashed. "Just remember that as much as I belong to you now; you also belong to me. And I will kill any man who touches you."

Sakura felt her mouth drop open in shock, but Hikaru was already striding out of the library.

What. The. Fuck.

She turned and robotically walked over to the table where her research lay, sitting stiffly in the chair she had inhabited previously. In the eyes of the clan, she was now engaged.

_Raven hair._

_Dark eyes._

_Teammate.._

_**NO.**_

The presence of the Blodrhun entered her mind, soothing her troubled thoughts away and pushing the memories from her head until she could no longer remember who she had been envisioning. Instead she felt her emotions falling away, layer by layer, until once again the calm and emotionless state became hers once again.

Hikaru had said that they had plenty of time before any decisions were made.

In the meantime, she had to focus on Konoha. And what would be left when the world collapsed around it.

* * *

><p><strong>So um… When I initially (re)started this chapter, that whole last half was not even close to what I had planned. I really do not even know where all that came from, this chapter literally just wrote itself, and when I looked back on it I was knocked out of the ballpark haha.<strong>

**Strange forces are controlling my hands…**

**Haha, please Read and Review!**

**~Lilithia**


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